


Red and White

by 123ejc



Category: The 100 (TV), clexa - Fandom, clexa fandom
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Clexa, College AU, Ex-Costa (mention only), Ex-Niylah (mention only), F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Jealous Clarke, Jealous Lexa, Lawyer Lexa, Lexa/Anya/Lincoln Siblings, Modern Setting, Protective Clarke, Protective Lexa, Slow Burn, Smut, Soulmates Clarke Griffin/Lexa, athletic lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-06-01 01:40:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 94,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15132281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/123ejc/pseuds/123ejc
Summary: College AU: The academic year has begun. Lexa's the middle child of three, sophomore in college, from a wealthy family, and a future lawyer. Clarke is a single child, freshman in college, from a wealthy family, and future doctor. Their paths cross and there's clear attraction between them. Who will make the first move?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First, thank you for taking the time to give this fic a chance. This is also my first fanfic ever, so please forgive me for any grammatical, spelling, or syntax error. Writing is definitely not my strength. I've been reading clexa fics for sometime now and I finally racked up the courage to try it myself!
> 
> Few background notes before I disappear and reappear in the notes at the end: setting is in Houston, TX (I'm born and raised in the south, so there will be plenty of "y'all's" throughout the fic), all characters are 21 and up, everyone is wealthy-ish so money is never an issue (wouldn't that be nice), and Clexa is definitely, absolutely, 1000% end game.
> 
> Again, this is my first fanfic ever. I have written 5 chapters already, but I'm hesitant to continue. Rating and tags will change if I decide to continue with the story. The chapters I've written so far are just foundation chapters. Kinda wanna get some comments on it first before I decide to continue or completely bail the fic and crawl back in my shell and remain a reader rather than a writer.
> 
> I own nothing. Please enjoy!!

It’s the first day of freshman year and Clarke wasn’t ready for the commotion happening on campus. She’s attended a community college during high school for dual credit, but today is the first time she’s engulfed by a campus of 40,000+ students. There are students walking in all directions either heading to class, meeting up with friends to catch up after the long summer, or walking towards the closest coffee shop for their daily dose of caffeine. 

It’s 9:00 AM and Clarke doesn’t have class until 10:00 AM, but Octavia and Raven insisted on getting breakfast in the dining hall to start the first day of class right. For the first day of classes, Clarke decided to dress casually, but not too casually. She decided to wear her favorite ripped high waist jean shorts with her new red v-neck Polis University shirt and white chucks. She has her hair in a bun with some strands of blond hair caressing her face and her black wayfarers sitting on her head. Once she was ready, she knocked on her roommate’s door frame.

“Raven! Let’s go! How are you going to be late to breakfast when this was _your_ idea!”

“Ok, ok, Griffin! Chill! I’m almost ready! I just can’t find my other shoe…” exclaims Raven as she’s rummaging through her belongings on the floor.

Clarke looks to the floor to the left, “Are you talking about your navy Vans..?”

“Yeah! Do you see them?” 

Raven’s been Clarke best friend since elementary school and let’s just say—old habits die hard. There’s a reason why Clarke would only live with Raven if they each had their own rooms because there’s no way anyone could be able to find anything in Raven’s room. They decided to live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath co-ed residential hall on campus and they had just moved in 2 days ago. 

Clarke didn’t pack much besides the essentials: cloths, shoes, desk lamp, bed essentials, laptop, and bathroom essentials. Furniture and desk were all furnished by the residential hall. She was able to unpack smoothly and if she needed anything else, she figured she could just get it later. Raven on the other hand, decided to bring almost her entire room she grew up in. She had boxes upon boxes of things to unpack and according to Raven, “unpacking” just means throwing things in a general area where she ideally wants to place them. Clarke can’t help but think, _if she doesn’t get this room cleaned up by the end of the week, I’m going to have to sit down with her and talk to her about this._

Clarke bends over and hooks Raven’s missing navy Vans on her index finger and looks at Raven. When Raven finally looks at Clarke, she grins when she sees Clarke hold her missing shoe.

“What would I do without you?” says appreciatively as she strides over to Clarke.

“I don’t know Raven. What would have happened if you never threw that kickball at my face years ago in elementary school?” said Clarke with a grin remembering that exact moment as if it was yesterday.

“Let’s not think about that now! We have to meet Octavia at the dining hall!” Raven grabbed her backpack and a pair of sunglasses and grabbed Clarke’s wrist and dragged her out the door. 

* * *

Octavia lives off campus in an apartment with her older brother Bellamy. Ever since they were kids, Bellamy has been super protective of Octavia and he insisted that she, at least, live with him her first year of college. Bellamy is a year and a half older than the three girls and is majoring in architecture, so he’s really never at the apartment anyways so she didn’t argue much. Plus, Bellamy’s apartment is just 2 blocks away from campus so the commuting life wouldn’t be atrocious.

“Seriously guys? Y’all live on campus and y’all couldn’t even get here on time?” Octavia said with a slight tone of irritation.

Raven rolled her eyes, “Good morning to you too, O!”

Octavia gently nudged Raven’s shoulder and smiled. “Good morning, Raven.” Nods towards Clarke, “Morning Clarke. How’d you sleep? Better?”

“It was better, still trying to get used to sleeping in a room that’s not mine. I didn’t think it would be so difficult to adjust. I just wish I could open the windows and get some fresh air.”

Octavia nods sympathetically. “I bet that sucks. Always having to breathe in “artificial” air. Well, y’all can always come over to Bell and I’s place!”

Clarke nods. “We still going to y’alls place at the end of the day right?”

“Of course! We can break in the new school year together if we don’t find a party to go to later,” Octavia winked with a smile. 

“Enough talking guys! Let’s go find a table so we can eat!” Raven dashed forwards towards the first open line she sees doing her happy fist pump food dance. 

* * *

Even though all three girls have different majors, they still had some classes together and their schedule for the week was very similar. Clarke is a Biology major, Raven is Engineering, and Octavia is Psychology. Clarke has Calculus 1 and Biology 1 with Raven in the morning three times a week and Clarke has Introduction to Psychology with Octavia twice a week. The other 2 classes Clarke enrolled in is Political Science and Theater. Political science and theater are Clarke’s least favorite subjects, to say the least. Clarke’s ambition is to become a General Surgeon similarly to her mom, Abby. 

Abby is currently Chief of Cardiothoracic surgery for Polis Memorial Hospital. Ever since Clarke was a little girl, she absolutely loved being in the hospital—it was her niche. Abby would often take little Clarke to the hospitals on the weekends and let her wear her own mini white coat that says “Future Dr. Griffin”. She would follow her mom as she went on rounds and all the interns, residents, and attendings would smile brightly and laugh when Clarke would try to keep up with Abby’s quick strides down the hallways.

Clarke can’t help but think that this was Abby’s plan all along—let the hospital rub off on her enough so she will become a surgeon too. Clarke laughs internally thinking about all the memories she’s had in Polis Memorial. It isn’t until a certain brunette who walks in the auditorium of her political science class that snapped her back to reality.

She has a slender body, but from the twenty feet away, you can tell she was toned. She wore a beautiful long French braid that gently caressed her face and draped in front of her left shoulder. Her jaw line is strong and chiseled. She’s wearing black Adidas soccer sweats that did nothing but sculpt her toned thighs and a white v-neck short sleeve shirt. Simple and clean. Her sleeves are short enough to spot the artwork inked on her upper right arm flowing to her back. But nothing, nothing is as intense as those green eyes. 

It was as if the gods had planned this moment because as soon green met blue, the sunlight danced across her face. With the sunlight in her eyes, Clarke’s breath hitched. The gaze of those green eyes never faltered. Clarke’s gut started to perform summersaults when she realized this beautiful person was walking directly towards her. Somehow she managed to not break eye contact as she noticed the brunette bend down in front of her and then handed her a pen.

“You dropped your pen.”

Clarke was in such a trance she didn’t even respond. She just stared. _Come on Griffin, you look like an idiot!_

She speaks again, “Ahem.. Miss? Is this yours?”

As if an invisible angel finally slapped her across the face, she finally responded, “OH! Yes! Thank you.”

A small smile appeared on the girl’s face, “You’re welcome.” And she walked away.

Clarke let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she watched the breath-taking goddess walk away and sit down at the end of the row in front of her. Clarke has never been so star struck by anything or anyone in her life before. She didn’t know what overcame her to react that way.  


Needless to say, Clarke did nothing but sneak glances at the girl’s direction throughout the entire class period. She didn’t even know the professor has dismissed class until she noticed the girl gather her things and start walking out the closest exit. Clarke looked down at her notes and all she managed to write was “Political Scien”. She was about to publically face palm herself until she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She quickly looked and saw a goofy picture of her and Raven on her lock screen.

“Hello?”

She placed her phone in between her shoulder and ear as she quickly tried to gather her belongings and accompany her peers out the auditorium.

“Where are you?? I’m waiting outside the auditorium for your ass!”

“I’m coming! I was…distracted. I’ll be outside in a second!”

After she hung up, she finally gathered her belongings. She took a deep breath and proceeded to walk out the closest exit. When she saw Raven, she was talking to a tall and skinny girl with blonde hair. As she got closer, she noticed the blond girl hand Raven’s phone back to her and smiled, winked, and waved goodbye.

“See you later!” said the stranger. 

Confused, “What was that about?”

“I found us a party to break in the new semester.”

* * *

That is how Clarke found her self in front of Octavia’s full length mirror wearing a blue top with white shorts, hair perfectly curled, while finishing the last touches of her make up. She’s excited to go out with all her friends tonight to celebrate the start of the new semester. She also can’t help but think about the girl with the intoxicating green eyes. 

_I wonder if I’ll see her tonight._ Clarke snapped out of it. _The odds will never be in my favor._

Right when Clarke finished her last touches, Octavia comes out of the bathroom.

“Ohhh heeyyy, sexy thing! How much??” she says seductively.

“In your wildest dreams, Blake!” Clarke laughed.

“I agree. I love you and all and I’m glad my best friend is sexy as fuck, but I will never sleep with you,” said playfully by Octavia as she placed her hand on her shoulder. 

Both girls laughed and smiled. After they caught their breaths, Clarke asked, “where’s Raven at?”

“I bet she’s already downed three shots of tequila with Jasper and Monty. You know how they get when they’re together with a bottle of tequila.”  


They both headed downstairs to the sight of Jasper, Monty, and Raven squeezing their eyes shut while biting down on limes. All three of them then fist pumped in the air while simultaneously cheering on the night.

As soon as Raven noticed the two girls, she pointed towards them and shouted, “Griffin! O! Get your asses over here! Y’all are now playing catch up!”  


Bellamy walks over with a beer in his hand, “O, you need to watch yourself tonight. Those frat boys are no joke.”

Raven playfully slaps Bellamy on the back. “Don’t worry brother bear, no frat daddy’s tonight! We got exclusively invited to the Woods mansion party tonight,” Raven wiggled her eyebrows suspiciously.

Bellamy’s mouth dropped. “What?! How? I’ve been trying to find a connect to get invited since last year! How the hell did you end up getting invited as a _freshman_?”

Raven laughed evilly. “These are secrets I will never reveal! Although it’s pretty obvious its because of my stunning good looks and charming personality,” as she kicks her right leg back, winks, and blows a kiss to Bellamy at the same time. “But to be completely honest, this girl randomly came up to me while I was waiting for Clarke to get out of political science,” Raven shrugged and continued. “She asked me what I was doing later and if I wasn’t doing anything I should stop by her house party. It wasn’t until much later when I realized who she was and her family’s reputation.”  


Clarke is now thoroughly confused. “Wait, am I the only one that’s not in the loop here? Who is the Woods family?” Everyone looked at her with blank faces.

Jasper casually interjects, “Oh, you know, they’re just the family who founded Polis University while also run the most successful law firm in the city. No big deal.”

Now Clarke’s mouth dropped. “What?!”

Raven meanders between Bellamy and Clarke and puts her arms across their shoulders. “Like what Jasper said, it’s no big deal! This will be the most lit party we’ve ever been to and it’s only the start of our glorious 4-year journey of college!” Raven smiles and walks towards the table setting up 6 shots of tequila. “Now, everyone get your asses over here and take these shots!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if you liked it or not by commenting! If you're not a commenter, then let me know by leaving kudos!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are wonderful. I've gotten a handful of feedback from and at least some people liked the first chapter! Thank you to those who've commented and thank you for the kudos!
> 
> I've decided to post the next three chapters I've already written within the next 3 days (a chapter a day!). Hopefully I don't disappoint!
> 
> Before you start, TRIGGER WARNING!! There is a point in this chapter insinuating rape. Act of raping does not occur, but I want to give y'all a heads up.
> 
> Also, if you haven't picked up yet, I use italics to signify the character's thoughts. In this chapter and future chapters, they will also be used during flashbacks.
> 
> Again, I own nothing. Enjoy and I'll see you at the end! 
> 
> I apologize ahead of time for any grammatical, spelling or syntax errors.

Clarke remembered taking at least 4 shots of tequila (or was it 6?) before everyone piled in the Uber. Surprisingly, it didn’t take too long to get to the Woods mansion from the Blake’s apartment. When they arrived at the front gate, it was oddly quiet. There were no signs of a mansion party going on—no loud music, no cars parked along the side of the street, and they saw no one else. Clarke looked towards Raven to make sure the address the stranger texted her was correct and then the Uber driver spoke. 

“This is it everyone. They only allow drop offs. They don’t allow you to park your car in or in front of their house. And apparently, they don’t allow guest to bring alcohol, they provide it all. Pretty smart if you ask me. Y’all are the 7th group I’ve had dropped off here tonight. Go have fun!”

After that, everyone got out the Uber one by one. They thanked the driver and he took off to find his next endeavor. They all walked towards the gate of the property and that’s when they found themselves face to face with the man who mans the security booth of the property.

The man was large and muscular. Probably the largest and muscular man Clarke has ever seen man a security booth. He’s wearing a black suit that surprisingly fits his large set, a white dress shirt underneath with a black tie and black dress shoes and a man bun. He has a tribal tattoo peeking out from his collar on his neck that only makes him even more intimidating. Clarke swallows as they all approach the guard.

“Last names?” said the large man.

“Reyes and friends. I was told I was able to bring my friends along.”

He takes his time to observe and analyze each one of them. His eyes lingering on Clarke for a couple of seconds longer than the rest. He then leaves them standing in front of the gate and walks back in his booth. He talks in a radio briefly and seconds later, the gates slowly slide open.

“Ms. Anya Woods has vouched for you and your friends. You may enter the property.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” Raven says smugly.

As they started walking towards the mansion, everyone was in awe of what was up ahead. Even at night you can tell the style of the house is modern with wood accents. The house was two stories high with concrete walls. There were lights pointed perfectly in different angles to bring out the architectural beauty of the house. To the left of the house you can see where the driveway breaks off to the detached 3 and 2 car garages. In front of the house stands a beautiful symmetrical fountain that reminds Clarke of a miniature Chichen Itza with water flowing through it. Trees and shrubs were all over the property and Clarke had a feeling each tree was planted with purpose and reason.

As they finally made their way up the long driveway and stairs to the entrance of the house, Clarke’s heart started to beat faster and faster. Everything she saw from the security booth to the entrance of the house only intimidated her. _I hope the people who live here aren’t completely full of themselves_ , Clarke thought. As they finally approached the massive dark wooden door, Raven turned her back towards the door and look at everyone.

“Okay, wow, were here. I hope y’all are ready cause I sure as hell am! Let’s make this the best night ever!”

Everyone’s faces lit up, including Clarke’s. As long as she has her friends with her, she can do anything. Raven’s back was still against the door as she took a step backwards, pushed the door open, and quickly turned on her heels towards the festivities with her arms in the air.

* * *

Clarke has never been to a party with this many people. When they Raven opened the door, music, heat, and the smell of alcohol flooded their senses. It’s crazy how you couldn’t hear any of this outside. They meandered around groups of people chatting, dancing, and playing beer pong. By the time they got to the where mostly everyone was congregated, they had seen at least 5 beer pong tables and 3 mini make shift bars around the place.

They managed to get shots after shots of whatever they wanted. By their third shot, Clarke grabbed Raven and Octavia’s hand and dragged them to where everyone was dancing. They were definitely feeling the alcohol at this point. They danced with each other and looked out for one another. Whenever a random guy or girl would come dance with one of them, they would signal to each other ‘yes or no’ making sure the guy or girl wasn’t a total creep. 

After about thirty minutes in, everyone’s body heat joined together and created a heat bubble that lingered around the entire dance floor. Clarke decided to go play rounds of beer pong with Raven and Bellamy (separately) and has surprisingly won most of their games. They then went back and danced with each other and strangers throughout the night until Clarke started to feel the heat on her face from the combination of beer and the multiple shots throughout the night. She needed to get some air and fast. She quickly turned towards Octavia letting her know she was going outside to the backyard to get a breather. Octavia nodded and told her to come find her when she comes back in.

Clarke grabs a bottle of beer before she finds the floor to ceiling sliding glass windows that led her to the backyard. Not to her surprise, there was a large, 25-yard rectangular pool in the backyard. There were girls and guys in the pool with nothing but their bras and underwear. Clarke was able to find an empty chair and table on the far side of the pool to take in some fresh air. 

She was thinking about how the night is going so far and how crazy it was to be in a house of this value. With Clarke’s current drunk state of mind, she couldn’t help but think about her ex-girlfriend Niylah. They always went to parties together. Before Clarke broke up with her, they dated for 3 years. They met when Clarke was a cheer captain and Niylah was the captain of the women’s soccer team. Their attraction was automatic and after their first date, they were exclusive. At prom, they were crowned prom king and queen. Looking back, there was absolutely nothing wrong with their relationship until Niylah accepted a full scholarship to play soccer at UCLA without talking to her about it.

_Clarke and Niylah have been going at it for the past 30 minutes. “Babe, I love you! But, come on, this is UCLA were talking about! You know this is my dream school to play soccer for!”_

_“I know, Niylah, but I thought you’d at least tell me before you made the decision to accept the scholarship!”_

_“I’m sorry.. I know I should have, but…it’s UCLA! I got caught up in the moment when they called me to tell me they wanted me and all I could say was yes!”_

_Clarke was upset. Even though she knew being upset was selfish. They’ve been in a committed relationship for at least 3 years and she thought she at least deserved to be a reason for her to stay in-state._

_Clarke’s ambition to become a doctor and to stay within Texas for her undergrad was known amongst Niylah and all her friends. So when Niylah asked her to come with her to UCLA for their medical school program, the decision was easy._

_“I’m sorry, Niylah, but that’s not happening.”_

* * *

It wasn’t until she felt liquid splash on her right side almost drenching her was she brought back out of her memories.

“Ohhmagawdd, Im soo sorrryy! I mostve leaned a lil too moch and shpilled ma drin over yuh! Lemme heelp yuh clean it offf!”

Clarke didn’t move and was stuck in a moment of shock because she has never had someone spill their drink over her before. She looked up and saw a white guy with wet brown hair with nothing but boxers on stand before her. She noticed he was sporting a slight erection and she quickly moved away from his hands.

“No, please, it’s fine. Just leave.”

He backed off a little and stood watching Clarke while he held his now empty red cup. As he kept staring Clarke noticed his sick grin. “You’re pretty.”

Clarke was able to sense the tension in between them. She did not like where this was going. She quickly tried to finish wiping off the remaining liquid on her top, pants, and arms while standing to get away from the boy, but before she was able escape, he grabbed her by the wrist. 

Clarke’s blood immediately rushed to her brain and her head started throbbing. She now definitely did not like where this was going and never imagined this happening to her. She noticed everyone outside earlier has gone back into the house besides a few couples in the pool that are making out and grinding on each other in the water. She tried to shake the boys grip off of her wrist, but his grip was too firm.

“Let go of me.”

“Come onnn, dooun’t be a pruuude! Leht’s starrt thhe year off wifth a baang.” He grinned as he started pulling Clarke towards the tall hedges that lined the property. Clarke refused and used everything she had within her to try to pull away, but she just couldn’t break free.

Suddenly, she heard someone a few feet away.

“HEY!”

Before he could muster anything out of his drunk mouth, he was decked in the face and let go of Clarke’s hand. He was knocked out cold on the cool grass in the backyard next to a very active ant pile.

Clarke felt a hand on her shoulder and immediately moved away from the contact.

A voice so tender and gentle spoke, “hey.. hey.. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. Are you okay?”

Clarke didn’t realize she was shaking. It was either from the wet clothing or from the trauma she was about to experience. Clarke thought, _I can’t believe that was about to happen_. Clarke was staring at the lifeless boy on the grass until she finally looked at the person who caused the humiliation of the drunk boy--her savior. Even in the darkness of the night, she can notice the severity of green in those eyes.

_It’s her._

Clarke said shakily, “wha-what are you doing here?”

With the same tender voice, “well, seeing that I live here…it would make sense I’m here.” After a couple of moments of no response, “come, let me get you a change of clothes. You must be cold.” The brunette reached out her hand making sure not to touch the blond knowing she is extremely vulnerable at the moment. Clarke looked into those green eyes knowing she could easily get lost staring. She then glanced down at her gesture. She knew in this moment she needed to find her friends. She needed to find Octavia, Raven, and Bellamy. When she reached for the brunette’s hands, she noticed that small smile she witnessed earlier today appear on her face.

Even under the influence—no, definitely because she was under the influence, the brunette’s hands felt so soft. No one in this world could possibly have hands this soft. The brunette held her hand gently yet firmly as if she thought Clarke would let go. After a few seconds, she realized the were not heading towards the house. Instead, they are heading towards the pool house. _How did I not notice this pool house right next to the pool earlier.._ Her thoughts faded away as she watched the brunette enter a key code on the door handle. Six discrete little beeps later, a light on the door handle flashed green and they were walking inside.

The interior of the pool house was almost identical to the house itself only smaller. Bleach white walls with stone accents above the fireplace. Large marble tiles lined the floors. High ceilings with two large propeller-like ceiling fans. The kitchen looks brand new with stainless steel appliances and right in the middle of the kitchen was a large concrete counter top island. The living room had dark brown leather couches, a glass top coffee table sitting on top a large red carpet, a mounted 64-inch flat screen, and a pool table.

Similar to the first time she stepped in the main house, she was in awe with the white and dark color scheme of the house. Simple and clean. After she was able to take in the aesthetic-ness of the pool house, the brunette placed a glass of water on the counter for her. Clarke walked over to the counter and took a couple of gulps. When she finished, she realized she’s alone in the living room. As she looks around the pool house, noticed there are no pictures hanging on the walls only large pictures of various forest landscapes hung to fill the empty spaces of the bleach white walls.

When the brunette finally returned, she informed Clarke that a clean outfit has been placed in the bathroom for her to change into when she is ready. Clarke quickly made way towards the bathroom as directed by the brunette. Laying on top of the bathroom counter was a large red Polis University hoodie and some black running shorts. After Clarke changed and tidied herself in the mirror, she made her way back to the living room.

The sight that greeted her was something out of a movie. Clarke didn’t realize what the brunette was wearing until now. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a tight black tank top that showed off her toned back and arms with her hair tied back in a messy bun. She was sitting on a bar stool at the island reading a book while drinking a cup of hot tea. Clearly, the brunette didn’t participate in the festivities happening outside the pool house. At this moment, Clarke wished she was gifted with photographic memory because she would love to remember this beautiful image for the rest of her life.

“I made an extra cup of hot tea for you if you’d like some.” The brunette said without taking her eyes off her book. Clarke slowly makes her way over towards the island and sits down on the bar stool next to the brunette. She grabs the cup of tea and took a whiff. _Ahh, chamomile_. A few minutes passes by in silence as Clarke continues to sip on her tea while the brunette continues to read her book. Until the brunette finally broke the silence.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” the brunette said quietly.

“Why are you sorry? You weren’t the one forcing me to do anything,” Clarke said as she fiddles with the cup and stares into her cup of tea.

“I know, but still. For something this heinous almost happening on my property towards you is something worth apologizing for,” said with a little more confidence this time.

“Thank you…for everything tonight. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened,” whispered Clarke.

The brunette places her bookmark in her book and places it down on the counter and turns her body towards Clarke. Clarke also removes her gaze from the cup of tea she’s been staring at and locks in eye contact with the brunette. Clarke looks at the brunette’s eyes and realized she’s trapped in a vortex of green and doesn’t know if she’s seen anything more beautiful than the girl in front of her right now. The brunette facial features are so gentle and perfect. _God she’s beautiful even in sweats and a tank top_ , thought Clarke. 

“You’re welcome. Although, you do not need to thank me. I was simply protecting a damsel in distress,” again, the small smile appeared on the brunettes face again. Clarke can’t help but feel heat build on her cheeks and she had to remove her gaze from the brunette. She took another sip of the tea and then suddenly felt her phone buzz on the counter. She quickly turned her phone over to find Octavia’s photo on her lock screen.

“H-hello, O?” said Clarke shakily.

“Clarke?! Where are you? I’ve been calling you and looking for you for the past hour! Are you okay? Are you still at the party?” Octavia was shouting through the phone due to the volume of the music in the house. Good to know her friends are still here and didn’t leave her.

“I’m fine, O. I’m still at the house. I’m just in the pool house with….” Clarke realized she doesn’t even know the brunettes name.

The brunette caught on. “Lexa. Lexa Woods,” stated the brunette.

“…with Lexa.” _Lexa…_

“Lexa? The other girl Woods?” Octavia asked.

“Yeah, she…nevermind.” Clarke didn’t want to imagine the ‘what if’ moments of what could have happened tonight.

“Okay, well meet us back in the house in 15 min. Raven, Jasper, and Monty are belligerent and we need to get them home before they make a complete fool of themselves. Especially Raven. She keeps sneaking off with the other Woods sister doing god knows what.”

Lexa chucked after hearing what Clarke’s friend said through the phone. Since Octavia was shouting through the phone, she could hear their conversation. 

“Okay, I’ll be there in soon.” And she hung up.

“Looks like I have to go.” Sighed Clarke. Just being in the presence of the brunette made Clarke feel immensely better. _Why?_

“Of course, it is getting pretty late and it sounds like your friend needs your help gathering the rest of your friends,” Lexa said in a humorous tone.

“You have no idea. When Raven, Jasper, and Monty are belligerent, it’s like taking care of 5-year-old children.” Exasperated Clarke. She’s definitely not looking forward to the latter half of the night. 

The sound that came out of the brunette’s mouth was the most beautiful sound she’s ever heard. _Is she laughing?_ After a moment, Lexa stopped. “I can relate. I’m the middle child, but my older sister acts like the youngest and my younger brother…well, acts his age.” The both started filling the room with their laughter. Clarke wishes she had more time to be in the presence of Lexa while getting lost in those forest green eyes, but duty calls.

Clarke started towards the door, she turned around one last time to thank the brunette for her chivalrous actions tonight. Right before Clarke was out of ear shot of Lexa she heard, “Wait!” Clarke quickly turned around, looked at Lexa, and tilted her head slightly wondering if she had forgotten something in the pool house. Lexa shouted, “I never got your name!” Clarke smiled the biggest smile she’s given all day.

“My name is Clarke Griffin!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated! Let me know how this chapter left you feeling--yay or nay? If you don't like commenting, let me know via kudos! 
> 
> Till tomorrow, cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th y'all! Houston decided to storm today so I decided to post early today and maybe.. maybeee post a second one later today depending on if I finish writing the next. No promises though!
> 
> Even though I don't respond to the comments, I just want y'all to know everytime I read a comment I squeal like a little girl and fist pump from excitement. Thank you for those who comment and lowkey make my day and thank you to everyone who leaves kudos. Y'all da best.
> 
> This chapter is all Lexa POV of her first day and further develops her character for future chapters. Which is why I'm thinking about posting another chapter today so y'all can experience more plot development. But again, no promises. 
> 
> Shutting up now. Please enjoy!
> 
> I own nothing. Forgive me for any grammatical, spelling, or syntax errors.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

“Hmmm…” Lexa grunted.

It’s currently 7:00 AM and also the first day of classes of her second year in college. Lexa sits up on her bed and takes a minute to equalize her drowsiness. She throws her legs off over the edge and makes her way towards her bathroom. She proceeds with her daily morning routine and after 15 minutes she’s sporting a black athletic top and black running shorts. Ever since middle school when she made the track and cross country team, she always makes an effort to wake up early enough to run 10 miles to start her day. Her subdivision was exactly 5 miles around, so she would run around her neighborhood twice. After her run, she would then use the home gym her dad installed for her and her siblings to use. Her entire workout all together would last about 2 hours every morning. She would then shower and get ready for the rest of her day.

Lexa learned as a little girl that she wanted to be just like her parents and become an attorney. She doesn’t know which field of law she wants to pursue yet, but like her parents Indra and Gustus always said, “only time will tell”. She decided to major in political science and declare a double minor in psychology and history all while being on the pre-law track. Even though her last name is all over Polis University, contrary to popular belief, she earned her spot. Matter of fact, all the Woods siblings, Anya, Lexa, and Lincoln, did. However, amongst all three, Lexa achieved the highest level of academia throughout her educational career so far. She was a National Merit Scholar and earned enough academic scholarships to never needing to pay a penny for college. 

The last thing any of the Woods siblings wanted were for people to think that everything was handed to them on a silver platter. Coming from a family that founded a prestigious university and one of the most successful law firms in the south, people may have the idea that the children from this family are spoiled rotten and never will have to work for a penny during their lifetime. Lexa always wondered how her life would have turned out to be if her parents didn’t raise them the way they did. 

Growing up, if any of the three wanted anything, they would always have to discuss the reasons why they wanted it with their parents. If Indra or Gustus thinks your proposal is good enough, they’ll allow it. Everything and anything was always up for debate. Of course, since her parents were both well-seasoned attorney’s, it was difficult to ever win these debates with them. But because of this, the siblings were more intrinsically motivated to always be better and that’s exactly how they all were respectively the valedictorians of their high school graduating class.

Luckily, all of Lexa’s lectures doesn’t start until 10:00 AM this semester. After she finished showering and getting ready for the day, it was already 9:30 AM. She quickly gathered her books and placed them in her backpack and headed towards the kitchen. She always makes a strawberry and banana protein shake in the morning for breakfast, grabs a granola bar, puts her shoes on, and heads out the door. She walks around the side of of the main house towards the 2 car garage. She gets in her black Lexus IS 350 and starts her engine and makes her way towards campus.

Lexa is taking three political science classes, one psychology, and one history class this semester. She visits 4 classes three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays and her psychology class on Tuesday and Thursdays. The first week is always syllabus week, but Lexa makes an effort to go anyways. After she parks her car, she stops by the coffee shop next to the bookstore and orders an iced black coffee and makes her way towards class.

* * *

It isn’t until her last political science class of the day where she finals sees something interesting. She walks into class 14:30 on the dot and when she walks in she sees something glow in her peripheral vision towards her left. The source of the glow was the sun shining on a blond who has the intensity of the sea embedded in her eyes. She noticed the blond dropped her pen while her concentration was on something inside her backpack. Lexa made her way towards her to let her know she dropped her pen and that’s when the forest meets the sky. She has the perfect white skin tone that has been gently caressed by the sun. Her beauty was of course in the eyes, but her facial features and structure was perfectly proportioned and beautiful. _The gods took their time with this one_ , she thought. They maintain their gazes on one another until Lexa squats down to pick up the pen. Once she upright again, she notices the blonde’s gaze is still on her.

The blonde’s gaze is enchanting, but she still manages to speak and hands the pen towards the blond and says, “you dropped your pen.” No response. She waits for a response, but the blond was just frozen. As their gaze holds, Lexa thinks, _this girl is…the perfect combination between sexy and cute_. After a long drawn out moment, Lexa decides to make another attempt, “ahem.. Miss? Is this yours?” _Did you just call her “Miss”?!_

The blond finally snaps out of her daze, “OH! Yes! Thank you.” Lexa couldn’t help but smile at the flustered blond in front of her. “You’re welcome,” was the last thing she said before she made her way forward to find a seat to sit down and get ready for the lecture. Once she sits down, she needed a second to take a long inhale and exhale. Her heart was beating as if she had just sprinted a mile. Even right now, she could feel a gaze drilling the back of her head in the direction of the blond. She couldn’t turn her head towards the blond to meet that gaze again. The intensity of that stare could freeze time and space.

Lexa tries to focus during class, but her thoughts keep reverting back to the encounter she just had with a specific blond. _I still cannot believe you called her “Miss”. You couldn’t have just said “Excuse me,” or, “Pardon me,” or some shit? Ugh_. She not used to second guessing herself. She does not have an issue with speaking to women at all. Lexa knows her body is kind of ridiculous and the way she holds herself up while she speaks can send any girl head over heels for her. Although she’s had plenty of lovers in the past, only one woman truly made a mark on Lexa. Her name was Costia.

* * *

_As Anya sneaks behind Lexa, during lunch, she casually asked, “have you seen the new girl, Lexa?”_

_“No. Why should I be interested in the new girl?” Lexa quirked an eyebrow up as she turns her head slightly to face her older sister._

_“Well, she seems like your type. Just thought you should know,” winked Anya._

_Lexa just rolled her eyes, but should couldn’t deny she was interested to meet the new girl. Right when Lexa was about to bite into her apple, she noticed a particular beautiful brunette she’s never seen before walk in front of her. The girl then disappears into the cafeteria. Anya nudged her and said smugly, “told you.”_

_Fast forward, Lexa and Costia dated for 3 years before Costia had to move again because of her father’s work. Lexa tried to reason with her that she could stay with her and start their freshman year of college together at Polis, but no matter what she said, Costia shook her head. “Lexa, I love you. I really do, but my family and I have always moved around. It’s how I like to live my life. We were never meant to last this long and you have to believe me when I say my intentions were never to hurt you. You are special, you truly are and you deserve someone who can make you happy and stay by your side.”_

* * *

“Thank you everyone, I’ll see you again on Wednesday.”

Everyone one around her started gathering their belongings and started heading out the lecture hall. She quickly closed her notebook, stuck her pen behind her ear, zipped her backpack, and started to follow the crowd out the lecture hall. It’s so unusual for Lexa to completely zone out during lecture—especially her political science lectures. She walked out of class and saw Anya with her dirty blond hair draping loosely on top of her shoulders wearing long black skinny jeans, a white baseball t-shirt with red sleeves, and aviators.

“Look who decided to show her face on campus this morning,” Lexa said brazenly. 

“Of course! I wanted to see if there was anyone around who was worth inviting to the annual party tonight. That’s what Lincoln and I are doing on campus today anyways,” Anya shrugged. Lexa completely forgot about the party Anya and Lincoln loves to host. Lexa was never particularly fond of house parties. She always thinks it’s a messy way of meeting people. She prefers when they have small kick backs where no one becomes belligerent drunk.

“Right, that’s tonight isn’t it.” Lexa scratches the back of her neck.

“That’s how annual parties work, Lexa. Every year on the same day.” Anya said jokingly slow. Lexa notices how Anya’s line of sight was fixated on something. Lexa turns and follows her line of sight and notices she’s eyeing a thin and tall, tan skinned brunette talking on the phone trying to look for someone within the crowd of students coming out the lecture hall.

Lexa rolled her eyes at her sister, puts her hand on her shoulder, and starts walking towards the parking garage. “Well, I just attended my last lecture for the day so I’m going home. You know where to find me,” Lexa said over her shoulder as she raised her right hand up waving goodbye to her older sister.

* * *

Lexa looks at the clock and It’s about 23:30 and Anya and Lincolns party is still raging. She made sure her blinds were closed to the front of her pool house. She appreciates that Anya and Lincoln we willing to let Lexa live in the pool house. The pool house is basically a miniature house in the backyard. It’s one bedroom, one and a half bath layout. It’s basically Lexa’s own bachelor pad. She can’t image staying in the house when a party like this is going on. She would never be able to get away from the party.

She finally decided turn off her PS4 and peeks outside her blinds to see all the crazy horny party goers next to the pool outside. People were playing strip poker on the patio of their backyard, friends were daring one another to strip naked and jump in the pool, and couples were making out in the shallow end of the pool while grinding on one another. A large group gathered around the large picnic table next to the grill underneath the gazebo passing around a couple of blunts and joints.

Lexa moved away from the blinds when she heard the Keurig start to administer her tea. She walked over to the kitchen and grabs her cup of tea and sat at the barstool next the island in the kitchen. She decides to pick up her book she’s been reading and drink her tea before she decides to call it a night.

Right before Lexa decides to turn off the lights and head off to bed, she decides to look outside one last time to make sure nothing crazy is happening… and to also check and see the status of the party. When she looks outside, she spots a familiar looking blond girl from across the pool. She is sitting at a table with her mouth gaped open as if something just spilled on her. She sees a white boy who was clearly wet from jumping in the pool swaying slightly as he’s talking to the blond. A couple of seconds later, she sees the girl trying to get up and make her way towards the house, but was stopped by the boy’s grasp on her wrist.

Lexa had a feeling that the girl was in trouble. She closed the blinds, put her slides on, and opened the door to the pool house. At this point, the boy is dragging the blond girl away and towards to side of the house near the hedges. The girl seems like she’s trying to get the boy to release her hand. Lexa strides around the pool and darts straight towards the blond. Right when she’s about 10 feet away, Lexa shouts, “HEY!”

Before she knows it, her right fist is colliding with the boy’s jaw right below the the boys left ear. He spins 180º and lands flat on the grass next to an ant pile. _Fucking low life_ , Lexa thinks to herself. Lexa’s breathing heavy from sprinting across her back yard and also by amount of force she just exerted into the boy’s head. She immediately turns on her heels to look at the blond she just saved from a god forsaken fate. She stalks towards the blond and gently places her hand on her shoulder. The blond immediately moves her shoulder away from the contact and Lexa’s heart drops.

“Hey.. hey.. it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you. Are you okay?” Lexa gently tries to soothe the blonde’s nerves. The blond takes a couple of minutes before she was finally able to turn her head and that’s when Lexa was able to gaze into the starry blue eyes that belongs to the blond.

_It’s her. The goddess-like girl from her political science class earlier today_. 

The blond mythical creature finally spoke, “wha-what are you doing here?”

Lexa internally chuckles at the question, “well, seeing that I live here…it would make sense I’m here.” The blond removes her gaze from Lexa and locks on to the boy laying lifeless on the grass. After a hot second, Lexa decides to invite her into her pool house so she can give her a change of clothes. Even in the dark, she could tell the blond was shivering. The blond grasped Lexa’s offered hand and Lexa retraces her steps back to the pool house. Once the door to the pool house closes behind them, Lexa points towards a bar stool next to the kitchen island and invites her to sit, but the blond seems too preoccupied by her surroundings.

Lexa grabs a cup and fills it with water. She places it on the counter for Clarke and invites her to drink. She then quickly makes her way over to her closet and starts thinking about what cloths she could give to the blond. She quickly decides to go with one of her older Polis University hoodies and one of her black running shorts. She then heads towards the bathroom down the hall and neatly folds the cloths and places them on the counter in the bathroom. When she returned to the living room, the blond was still standing, but she walked closer towards the fireplace observing Lexa’s favorite painting.

“I have placed some clean clothes in the bathroom just down the hall to the right for you to change into so you’re more comfortable,” explained Lexa. The blonde’s gaze fell on Lexa and her facial expression was so somber compared to the memorable moment they had in the lecture hall earlier today. She watches as the blond cracks a small smile and gives a quick nod and heads towards the direction of the bathroom. _She probably needs something to clam her nerves_ , Lexa concludes. She makes her way towards the kitchen and restarts her Keurig.

A couple minutes later, the Keurig starts filling the white mug with tea. The aroma of the chamomile can soothe Lexa’s nerves almost immediately. She places the cup on the counter in front of bar stool next to hers. Since Lexa isn’t going to go to sleep anytime soon, she decides to resume her spot in the book she was reading. Right after Lexa finished reading a paragraph in the book, she hears the lock on the bathroom door click and the door swings open.

Lexa discretely glances over the top of her book and catches the blond slowing making her way back towards the open area. Something about the blond walking towards her wearing her old red Polis University hoodie and black running shorts with her hair tied in a messy bun caused a lump to form in her neck. Not saying what the blond was wearing before made her any less attractive because the blue top she was wearing earlier did nothing but perfectly caress to her body and make her eyes shine brighter while her perfectly toned legs were revealed due to lack of coverage from those white shorts.

After a quick second, Lexa reverted her eyes back to the book in front of her. Before the vibe turned awkward between the two, Lexa swallows the existing lump in her throat and says confidently without removing her attention from the book, “I made an extra cup of hot tea for you if you’d like to have some.” She hears the blond make her way over to the island and prop herself on the bar stool. She sneakily glances over to the right watching the blond cupping the mug and bringing it towards her nose. She watches as the blond inhales a deep breath of the tea and lets out a satisfying sigh. Lexa internally fists pumps applauding herself for choosing chamomile. 

Silence grew between the two, but Lexa didn’t mind. The silence wasn’t tense or awkward. She didn’t feel like she needed to maintain a conversation with the blond in order to enjoy her company. This feeling felt oddly comfortable. But, there is something that’s been on the back of her mind that she has to verbally acknowledge to the blond sitting next to her.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Lexa said quietly.

“Why are you sorry? You weren’t the one forcing me to do anything,” the blond said as her gaze never left the cup.

“I know, but still. For something this heinous almost happening in my residence towards you is something worth apologizing for,” said Lexa desperately hoping the blond understands her apology.

The blond didn’t answer immediately. After a while the blond finally spoke again, “Thank you…for everything tonight. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened,” whispered Clarke.

Lexa places her bookmark back in the book and turns so that her torso is facing the blond. She doesn’t know what compelled her to say what she said next. “You’re welcome. Although, you do not need to thank me. I was simply protecting a damsel in distress,” said Lexa as she feels her lips slightly curl upwards. _Oh my gods, did you just use this vulnerable opportunity to flirt with her? Not cool, Lexa. Not cool!_ Lexa was about to physically remove herself from the room and become a hermit and never leave her bedroom again, until she noticed a pink hue glowing from the blonde’s cheeks as she looked away. _Is she blushing??_ Before Lexa could form another thought, she hears the blonds phone vibrate against the counter.

Lexa can’t help but listen to the conversation happening through the blonde’s phone because whoever the blond was talking to was shouting. She heard the girl through the phone saying something about the time and Lexa glanced over at the digital clock in the kitchen. It’s almost 1:45 in the morning. Lexa noticed the blond glance over while speaking on the phone. Lexa was able to pick up what the blond was saying and she quickly tried to finish the blonde’s sentence.

“Lexa. Lexa Woods,” she stated.

The blond continued to talk to the other girl through the phone for a couple of seconds longer and then ended her call. She looks at Lexa and told her her friends are acting a 5-year-olds at the party and she has to leave to take care of them. Lexa visibly laughs out loud because she can relate all too well because of Anya and Lincoln. She always feels like she’s their second mother whenever they get drunk. Rarely will Lexa ever reach their point of belligerent nor does Lexa ever want to reach that level.

Lexa and the blond enjoy each others company for just a little while longer. Neither one realizing that they are just trying to extend their moment together as long as they can. Once they reached the door, Clarke turns around one last time to face Lexa and continues to thank her again for her actions tonight. The blond turns around and starts walking away from Lexa. As she watches the girl walk away from her, she thought, _Bye…_ Before Lexa could think before she speaks, she hears herself yell, “Wait!” Lexa’s glad the blond heard her and turned around looking at her questioningly. 

“I never got your name!”

When she saw the blond return the most beautiful smile she’s ever seen, she held her breath as her world seemed to brighten. And that’s when she heard it.

“My name is Clarke Griffin!”

_Clarke._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always, let me know how you feel about the chapter in the comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter as much as I do.
> 
> The next couple of chapters will be posted at a slightly slower rate. The reason why I was able to post chapters daily was cause I literally took some vacation days off from work and spent my days writing. But, when I mean slower rate, max wait is most likely a week.
> 
> Oh! And I know I have Ranya and Linctavia tagged in this fic, but as of right now, I'm not expecting they're relationship to be anything more than PG-13. I'll occasionally write scenes for them, but I want this fic to be concentrated on clexa. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone.
> 
> I own nothing! Please enjoy!
> 
> Forgive me for any grammatical, spelling, or syntax error.

When Clarke woke up with a mind crushing headache, she couldn’t help but release a moan as she turns her back against the bed. Thank god Octavia bed is a king because she’s currently sleeping between her two best friends. Clarke glances over the digital clock on Octavia’s night stand and sees that it’s 8:30 AM. The girls don’t have class until 10:00 AM, but they’re still wearing the clothes the wore last night and they have to get ready for the day.

Clarke slowly sat up trying not to make her headache worse when she realized she’s still wearing the red Polis University hoodie and black shorts Lexa gave her last night. _Lexa, what a pretty name for a beautiful girl. How fitting_. She smiles to herself by remembering the short encounter they had together in the pool house. Lexa was not at all what Clarke thought a Woods would be. She was under the impression that people who come from that much wealth aren’t able to treat people as equals. She can’t speak for the other Woods siblings, but she knows for a fact Lexa is different. Her personality and her vibe was different than anyone’s she’s ever met before. 

“Ugh… What time is it?” asked Raven as she rolled closer to Clarke so her back is against the bed. Her forearms crossed on top of her forehead and her eyes still closed. Raven drank more than anyone last night. Clarke could only image how her heads feeling.

“It’s 8:35 AM,” answered Clarke. Since they still have sometime, Clarke thought this would be a good time to figure out how Raven’s night went. “So I heard you had a pretty good time last night,” Clarke said in a sultry tone.

Raven’s eyes are still closed, but she couldn’t help but leak a small smile before she answered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Raven. Octavia said she saw you sneaking off with Anya last night _multiple_ times! And since when do we keep secrets from each other!” Clarke argued while keeping her voice low to not wake the other girl.

Raven thought for a hot second and then sighed, “we just made out together on and off through out the night! No big deal..” Clarke didn’t want to pry so she just let out a small chuckle and ended the conversation there. But she has a feeling there’s definitely something brewing in Raven’s head.

“Alright, I trust you,” Clarke said sarcastically which caused Raven to chuckle. She turns to her other side, careful to not move too fast, and starts stroking Octavia’s back. “Hey O, time to get up now. It’s almost 9:00 AM,” said Clarke tenderly.

“Noooo… I deserve at least 10 more minutes. I was the last one to fall asleep cause Jasper wouldn’t stop throwing up in the bathroom..” moaned Octavia. She then proceeded to remove her pillow from underneath her head and moves it to cover her face from the impending sunlight.

“Okay, I’m gonna give the both of y’all 20 more minutes to sleep. If both of y’all aren’t awake after I come get y’all, I’ll come in here banging pots and pans while blasting Miley Cyrus!” Clarke said firmly as she gave them that ultimatum. She gets up and goes into Octavia’s bathroom. She looks like a hot mess. Her hair had somehow stayed in a bun after she fell asleep with it. Good thing drunk Clarke was at least smart enough to take her make up off before she fell asleep last night. She smiled again as she noticed the red Polis University hoodie she’s wearing. She lowered her nose and inhaled the smell of the hoodie. Smells like lavender and dryer sheets. Such an intoxicating combination of smells. She peaked at the clock one more time and saw that it was now 8:45 AM—have to start making myself presentable for the day now.

Fifteen minutes later, she’s showered and changed into the extra pair of clothes she brought yesterday. Everyone knew they we going to at least pass out at the Blake’s apartment last night. She was glad she decided to pack some black leggings and a large t-shirt because she does not feel like putting in the effort today after last night. She popped two aspirins chasing them with water before she heads out back to the room. She comes out a cup of water and four aspirins to find Octavia already sitting up on the bed semi-awake while Raven is turned over on her stomach drooling on to her pillow. _Attractive_. As Clarke was about to say something, Octavia interrupted her by putting her hand up telling her to stop. Clarke watched as her friend slowly rose out of bed with her eyes shut tight while her right hand is supporting her head. Clarke said nothing as she handed Octavia the cup of water and aspirin supporting a huge grin. Octavia popped two aspirins, took a sip of water, and tipped her head back like a champ and swallowed. She walks off towards the bathroom and turns on the shower.

Clarke looks over to Raven and smiles mischievously. She gets her iPhone and attaches it to the speakers in Octavia’s room. She then leaves the room and heads towards the kitchen where she found a pot and a pan and heads back towards the room. She finds the perfect song and pressed play.

“We clawed, we chained, our hearts in vain,  
We jumped, never asking why  
We kissed, I fell under your spell  
A love no one could deny”

Clarke has the song playing gently at first. Allowing the volume to increase as the song makes it to the chorus. 

“Don’t you ever say I just walked away  
I will always want you  
I can’t live a lie, running for my life  
I will always want you” 

Once that verse ends, Clarke turned the knob all the way to the right and started banging the pot and pan together as she sang along. 

“I came in like a wrecking ball  
I never hit so hard in love  
All I wanted was to break your walls  
All you ever did was break me  
Yeah, you wreck me”

Raven jolts up and places her hands on her ears, clenches her teeth, and shuts her eyes tightly. Raven shouts and pleads, “PLEASE! TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFFFF! PLEASEEE!!” Clarke continues slamming the pot and pan together as she is also now jumping on the bed singing along with Miley. Raven is now sitting with her knees against her chest with her head on her knees and hands still covering her ears. Once the chorus is over, Clarke ran towards the speakers and turns off the music. When she returned her gaze on Raven, she’s now tipped over and laying on her side in fetal position with her arms holding her head. 

Clarke puts the pot and pan on the floor and grabs the two aspirins and the cup of water from the night stand and walks towards Raven still laughing from what just happened. “Come on, Raven. Take this. You’ll feel better,” Clarke said as she gently nudged the incapacitated girl.

“If I wasn’t so hung over, Griffin, I’d tickle you till you die,” Raven said through her gritted teeth as she slowly got up. “Well, thank the gods I get to live another day!” Clarke said wearing a smile. Clarke helped Raven get up and leads her to the bathroom. As Raven’s getting ready for the day, Clarke goes into the living room of the apartment looking for Raven’s dufflebag. She noticed Bellamy in the kitchen already starting to make pancakes for everyone.

“Morning Bellamy!” Even though, she still has a slight headache, she feels good. 

“Morning. You sound like you’re in a good mood while hosting a hangover,” Bellamy said suspiciously.

“I don’t know. I just feel like it’s going to be a good day today.” Clarke isn’t able to know why she has this feeling, but she’s looking forward to what the day will bring her.

“Can’t argue with that! How many pancakes do you want?” Bellamy’s attention turned back to the pancake currently cooking on the pan.

“Two, please!”

“Considered it done!” Exclaimed Bellamy.

Clarke makes her way back to Octavia’s room and Raven is back sitting on the bed holding her head. The look Raven gives Clarke breaks Clarke’s heart. Raven looks like she’s in so much pain.  
As much as Clarke wants to tell her to just go back to bed and not worry about her classes for the day, she knows Raven’s 10:00 AM class is Introduction to Engineering. She’s been looking forward to that class since she enrolled in it during their orientation over the summer.

“You got this, sweetheart. Here, change into something more comfortable.” Clarke hands Raven her dufflebag and watches Raven shuffle through her belongings. She pulled out her blue leggings, a black sports bra, and her white v-neck shirt. She gets up and starts undressing in front of Clarke. Since they’ve known each other for more than half their lives, they’ve seen each other bodies before. There’s nothing new Clarke or Raven hasn’t seen on each other. When Raven finally puts her shirt back on, she turns towards Clarke and said, “What about you? How was your night last night? You meet anyone new?

Clarke wasn’t ready for the question and was caught off guard by it. She quickly thought of an answer before Raven grew suspicious. “Not really. Unless you count the countless guys and girls that danced with me throughout the night,” Clarke threw in a wink to try and hide how she was really feeling about last night. _How do I feel about last night?_ She was caught in between anger and fondness. She was angry at the boy who tried to force himself on her and she felt extreme fondness towards the mysterious brunette. Yes, mysterious because Clarke has this huge urge to want to learn what makes the girl tick. She wants to the chance to meet her and get to know her.

Octavia comes out of her bathroom fully clothed and ready for the day. “Alright, we’re meeting back at my place at the end of the day so we can all recap what happened last night because I have A LOT I need to talk about.”

Raven and Clarke both nodded. Clarke glanced at the clock and saw that it was now 9:15 AM. Clarke grabbed her car keys and looked at both girls, “If we want to get to class on time, we should go eat the pancakes Bellamy made for us now so we can leave on time.”

The girls snagged their backpacks and headed towards the dining room.

* * *

Like any other morning, Lexa still woke up at 07:00 to start her morning work out routine. By the time she was finished with her work out and showered, it was already 09:15. She had some time left before she had to head towards campus, so she decided to check on the well-being of her brother and sister. When she walked into the house, it was a complete disaster. Every step she took into the house, she could feel her the bottom of her shoes become stickier.

“Anya! Lincoln!” shouted Lexa. Another major reason why she doesn’t participate in these huge house parties her siblings host is because of the cleaning afterwards. Even though majority of the cleaning is done by the cleaning company Anya uses, they still have to make sure everything is cleaned and replaced correctly. When she didn’t hear a response from both Anya and Lincoln, she decides to check on them herself. She goes up the stairs and goes to Lincoln’s room first.  
She opens his door and finds him sleeping on his stomach shirtless. His arms were hugging his pillow as he slept. There was a trash can right next to his bed and a cup of water and what looks like two aspirins on his night stand. _He looks like he’ll be fine_ , thought Lexa. Lincoln doesn’t have classes on Tuesday and Thursdays, so Lexa exits his room as quietly as she can to let him try and sleep off his pending hangover.

Anya on the other hand decided to have all her classes stacked on Tuesday and Thursday’s. Lexa knows her first class in at 10:00 and when she looks at her watch that shows 09:25, she just hopes that she doesn’t have to drag Anya out the bed. To her surprise, Anya was already out of bed and standing. Lexa assumes she just took two aspirins as she watched Anya chug the rest of her water.

Before Lexa could even say anything, Anya groaned and spoke, “I know, I know. You’re surprised. I set an alarm yesterday for this morning to make sure I woke up at 09:15.” Anya starts walking towards her closet door, opens it and starts rummaging though her clothes. As Anya’s changing out of her cloths she continues, “My first class is with Dr. Pike and he’s the worst political science teacher in the entire department. He’s relentless and is punctual with his attendance. I’m not about to let him ruin my perfect GPA.” Anya walks out of her closet wearing dark blue skinny jeans and a black sports bra. She puts on her dark green button up and starts buttoning it up. She continues talking about Dr. Pike, “Just remember that next year if you decide to take a class Dr. Pike teaches.”

Lexa nods, “Thanks for the tip Anya.” Even though Lexa is the one that has achieved the most in her academic career, Anya is still equally, if not more, smarter than Lexa. Lexa can’t image being the oldest and having the pressure of setting the tone for the rest of her siblings. Anya was the first to find an internship at a law firm other than their families. She has sat in a court room and shadowed her mentor. Even though the majority of her internship was just completing paperwork and filing papers, Anya still learned a lot.

Anya went over to her night stand and started to put her watch on as she made eye contact with her younger sister. “Are you heading to campus right now?”

“Yeah. I have my psychology class today at 10:00 and afterwards I was gonna go to the library to work on some stuff.”

“Alright then. You want to carpool?” Anya asked as she packs up her backpack and throw it over her shoulder.

“Only if I drive,” smirked Lexa.

Anya rolled her eyes, “Fine. Let’s go!”

* * *

Octavia and Clarke said bye to Raven as they went their separate ways. Clarke has psychology with Octavia on Tuesdays and Thursdays and she honestly can’t wait. “I’m so excited about learning psychology. I’ve always been interested in how and why people are the way they are,” Clarke said excitedly. 

“Of course, but there’s more to it than just that! I can’t wait to learn about the different disorders and how strongly someone’s behavior can be predicted by their environment!” Octavia said enthusiastically.

“And THAT is why you are the psychology major and I’m only the minor,” laughed Clarke.

Since it’s an introductory course, the class was held in lecture hall. Both girls were able to find good seats in the auditorium. They managed to get to class 10 minutes before class started and once they had their notebooks and pens ready for class, Octavia tilted her head towards Clarke. “So what happened to you last night? How’d you end up in the pool house with Lexa Woods?” Octavia asked as she set her head on her hands supported by her elbows. 

“It’s a long story.. I don’t want to talk about it in public,” Clarke said shyly. She didn’t make eye contact with Octavia. “Okay, okay, we can talk about it later then.” Octavia nods and reaches out to squeeze Clarkes hand reassuringly. Clarke cracks a smile from the gesture and sighs, “But that Lexa Woods is something else.” Octavia whips her head back to look at Clarke’s face. She saw a brief twinkle in Clarke’s eyes. There’s no denying it. Octavia starts wiggling her shoulders towards Clarke and nudges her, “Ooooo, do I sense Dr. Griffin developing a crush for a Woods?”

Clarke jokingly pushes Octavia away from her and both girls giggle. “No! I just find her very… intriguing…” Clarke continues, “I actually first met her in my political science class yesterday when she picked up my pen and handed it back to me, but I didn’t even know that was her at the time!” Clarke said truthfully. Right when Clarke was about to continue talking about Lexa to Octavia, Lexa walks into the auditorium on the left side. Like magnets, those green eyes immediately land on blue. 

_Clarke_. Lexa’s heart skips a beat. 

* * *

_Lexa would be in lying if she said she had not been thinking about the blond after learning her name. Before she fell asleep last night, she quietly whispered her name to no one._

_“Clarke. Claaarke. Clarke,” repeated Lexa quietly. She has not been infatuated with someone like this for a while. As she laid in her bed, she couldn’t pin point exactly what it was about the blond that made her so interesting. All she knew was that she wanted to get to know her more. Before she slowly drifted away to sleep, she told herself she was going try and make an effort to at least get to know the blond a little more._

* * *

She makes her way towards the blond and smiles. “Good morning, Clarke. How are you?” Lexa asks politely.

Clarke returns her smile with a little sparkle, “Morning, Lexa. Woke up with a slight hangover, but besides that, I’m well.”

Lexa still has her lips curved up slightly as she points to the seat next to her, “Is this seat taken?”

Clarke sits up straighter and hovers her hands around the seat as if she was presenting the seat as a prize in a game show, “It’s yours if you want it.”

Lexa chuckles as she removes her backpack from her shoulders and sat down next to the blond. As she shuffling through her backpack for her notebook and pen, she hears Clarke coughing to get her attention.

“Ahem, Lexa, this is my best friend Octavia. Octavia, this is Lexa Woods,” Clarke looks back and forth between her best friend and Lexa.

“Hello Octavia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lexa said in a friendly way sticking her hand out.

Octavia reach out and shook Lexa’s hand, “Lexa, the pleasure is all mine!”

Octavia eyes shined playfully and adds on, “Man, y’all Woods must have the beauty gene genetically modified in your DNA. Every single one of y’all are insanely beautiful.” Clarke’s eyes widen by how straight forward her best friend is acting. Clarke feels those two green eyes burning holes on the side of her face. She hears herself swallow the lump that was in her throat. Clarke couldn’t agree more with Octavia. Ever since Clarke laid eyes on Lexa yesterday, there was no denying the brunettes obvious beauty.

Lexa chuckles lightly, “I could say the same for the both of y’all. Y’all brighten this cruel world everyday by your genuine beauty.” As if Clarke’s face wasn’t blushing enough ever since Lexa sat down beside her, with that statement, she must have turned a whole shade redder. Before Clarke or Octavia is able to reply in a coherent way, the professor voice came through the speakers overhead.

“Good morning students! Welcome to PSYC 1300: Introduction to Psychology!”

All three girls directed their attention towards the professor. Clarke couldn’t help but glance over at Lexa to her left. She noticed that Lexa was wearing black skinny jeans topped with a white button up shirt. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and she was wearing a watch on her right hand. Clarke realized in that moment that Lexa is left handed. _That’s why she sat at the first seat on the left yesterday. But if she’s left handed, why didn’t she sit at a left handed desk today?_ Before she could over analyze the situation, she realized Lexa eyes were locked on hers. Her breath hitched and she turned forward to listen to what the professor was preaching about.

“5 discussions, 10 quizzes, 3 tests, and 1 group project for the class. I will allow no more than 3 people per group. If you have a group in mind already, you will have until tonight at 11:59 PM to submit all 3 of your classmates’ ID numbers to me via your Black Board account.”

All three girls smile and look at each other. Octavia whispers, “Well, Lexa, what do you say? Would you like to join us for this group project?” Lexa smiles and replies, “Of course!” Clarke nods and gives a thumbs up to both girls to show her agreement to the pact. The professor finally concludes her summary of her syllabus.

“If you have any questions about the syllabus… Then read the syllabus. It will literally answer all your questions.” Ripples of student’s laughter echoed in the lecture hall. “Well, to be quiet honest, I don’t have anything planned for today besides talking about the syllabus, so everyone is free to go! Class is dismissed!” Some students stood up, cheered, and pointed towards the professor shouting, “You’re the best!” and made the way towards the door.

As Lexa, Clarke, and Octavia slowly started packing their notebooks and pens in their backpack, Octavia interjected, “Hey Lexa, what’s your number? It might be useful for us to exchange numbers so we can keep remind each other when assignments are due and maybe see if we can study together for the tests.”

Lexa replies, “That’s a great idea.” Lexa removes her phone from her pocket and unlocks her phone. Lexa starts again, “Octavia, what’s your-” Octavia interrupts Lexa mid-sentence and quickly says, “I left my phone at home, but Clarke has her phone. Y’all can exchange numbers and she’ll just give me yours later.” Clarke doesn’t miss the wink Octavia flashes Clarke. Clarke drops her mouth slightly when she realized what her best friend just did.

“Clarke?” 

Lexa grabs Clarke’s attention and Clarke could barely form a proper sentence. “Oh! Yes! My phone…where is it…” Clarke starts checking her pockets and backpack for her phone, but she couldn’t find it. “I swear I just saw it..” Lexa sees Clarke’s eyebrows furrow slightly as she’s frantically trying to find her phone that’s sitting right in front of her on her notebook. God, she’s so cute. 

“Clarke,” Lexa says in a tone slightly above a whisper.

“Huh?” Clarke stops her movements and looks at Lexa. As if she wasn’t flustered enough, seeing Lexa smile always freezes time while causing her heart to beat faster.

“Your phone,” says Lexa in the same tone. Lexa uses her phone to point towards Clarke’s phone which was sitting on top of her notebook. Clarke looks at where Lexa was pointing at and she immediately face palms herself.

“Oh gosh, that’s embarrassing.” Clarke buries her face in her hands before she reaches down and unlocks her phone. She opens her phone log and clicks “+”. Clarke shyly hands Lexa her phone as Lexa hands her her phone. Clarke starts to enter her information in Lexa’s phone. When she was about to click save, she decides to do something daring. She clicks on the camera icon on her contact ID and decides to take a selfie of herself with Lexa in the background. Lexa doesn’t notice what Clarke’s doing so she quickly takes the selfie and saves it as her contact photo. She presses the home button, so Lexa won’t see the impromptu contact photo.

When Clarke hands Lexa her phone back, Lexa does the same. Clarke and Lexa have a brief second where their eyes lock with each other with smiles painted on their faces. Octavia broke them out of their trance state, “Clarke, don’t you have another class on the other side of campus at in like 15 minutes?” 

“Huh? Oh, SHIT! I do!” Clarke places her phone in her thigh pocket in her leggings and stands up and throw her backpack over her shoulder. Clarke can’t help but smile when she looks at Lexa before saying, “it was really nice to see you again, Lexa.” Lexa returns the smile, “likewise.” Clarke quickly turns towards Octavia and gives her a quick hug. She also gently pinches her shoulder causing the smaller brunette to squeal. Clarke discretely whisper in her ears, “I see what you did there.” Octavia’s squeal turns in to a giggle and Clarke turns on her heels and smiles at both girls before she starts making her way across campus to her Theater class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what to do! Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment!
> 
> Special thanks to the couple of people who always comment. Y'all make my day :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad y'all enjoyed the previous chapter! It was very fun to write.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy this one too!
> 
> I own nothing.
> 
> I apologize for any grammatical, syntax, or spelling errors!

Even though Clarke’s theater class ended at 12:00 PM (the theater professor also just went over the syllabus and dismissed class an hour early), Clarke was exhausted. She didn’t get enough sleep after last night and the consequences of her hangover is still taking a toll on her body. Just as Clarke was about to head back to her dorm on campus, she received a text from her group chat with Raven and Octavia.

Raven (12:05 PM):  
Clarke, when does your class end?

Clarke (12:06 PM):  
I’m already out. Professor just went over lecture, you?

Raven (12:09 PM):  
I’m in class until 1:00 TT_TT   
Professor decided to just mention the syllabus and dive right in to lecture on the first day of class… who does that?

Octavia (12:10 PM):  
I’ll be done at 1:00 too! Let’s get lunch and recap last night!

Clarke (12:11 PM):  
Sounds like a plan. I’m gonna go back to my dorm and nap. I’ll meet y’all at the dining hall at 1:15 PM!

*Raven and Octavia liked your message*

Clarke tucked her phone back in her pocket and made her way towards her dorm. When she made it, she was so relieved to lay on her own bed. If it wasn’t for the foam pad that Clarke brought, then her mattress would have been awful. She removed her shoes, climbed up her bed, and laid her head on her pillow.

She only closed her eyes for a quick minute, but she couldn’t stop thinking. She thought about what happened last night at the party—the boy and Lexa. She thought about this morning when she couldn’t bring herself to talk about the boy to Raven. She thought about how she felt about Lexa. _How do I feel about Lexa?_ Clarke pondered for a while until she finally decided that she’s ridiculous for thinking anything other than friendship with the girl. Sure, there are questionable comments and looks they steal from each other every now and then, but it’s just for giggles, right? No harm done. So it’s settled, friendship with the girl whose body and features were perfectly sculpted by the gods themselves. Clarke physically shook her head. _Okay, Clarke, get a grip of yourself. You can’t think like that about your potential friends. She’ll think you’re a creep_.

Now that hurdle is conquered, Clarke thoughts went back to the boy from last night. A part of Clarke really doesn’t want to give the boy anymore of her thoughts. Someone like him doesn’t deserve her thoughts or her time of day. Clarke starts thinking about ways to prevent anything like that from happening in the future. _I guess…Just make sure I’m always travelling in groups of 2 or more at parties? I mean, it was pretty silly of me to wander off by myself in an unfamiliar area. But still, who the hell did that boy think he was? Being able to just think he can take advantage of a girl just because she pretty and under the influence and isn’t strong enough to shake him off_. 

Clarke’s anger subsided a little when she thinks about how lucky she is that Lexa intervened and prevent her from becoming a victim. She also couldn’t bare to think about all the other young women out there who this has happened to. She closes her eyes trying not to think about all the heinous crimes that happen around the world and commonly on college campuses.

Clarke realizes her thoughts started to spiral down and became dark and twisty; she needs   
a break. She grabs her phone from the night stand and taps on Facebook. She needs to find some happy puppy videos to help take her mind switch gears. After a couple of minutes of scrolling, she decides to humor herself. She taps on the search bar in Facebook and types in, Lexa Woods. The first result showed a picture of a brunette wearing clubmaster sunglasses. The name on the profile read ‘Alexandria “Lexa” Woods’. Clarke taps on her profile.

She scrolls through her profile and notices her profile is basically Fort Knox of Facebook pages. All her personal information, tagged photos, profile pictures, and personal feed shows little to no information at all. However, based off the little information provided on the profile and profile picture, this has to be Lexa’s Facebook page. It also makes sense that someone from a family of such high status will have to keep their personal profiles heavy censored. She decides to tap Lexa’s current profile picture. 

The picture enlarged and Lexa, who is standing to the left side of the photo, is wearing a black leather jacket over a black tank top. You can see the top part of her black skinny jeans that fit so perfectly on her long legs. She has her long brown hair French braded similarly to how she wore her hair yesterday when she first met Lexa—French braid to the right side where it rest over her right shoulder. She’s standing in front of what looks like.. the Rocky Mountains?

Like fine wine, the longer Clarke observes the photo the better it gets. The way Lexa has her hands tucked in the pockets of the jacket; how the strands of hair that are loosened from the braid and frozen in motion as they are blown toward the right. And finally, that smile. Even though she’s wearing sunglasses in the photo and the smile she wears often doesn’t show teeth, she can tell her eyes are smiling too. She’s so mesmerized by the photo on her phone screen, she’s startled when her phone suddenly beeps.

Raven (12:55 PM):  
Oh, thank the gods class is over. I’m so hungry that I’m about to turn hangry.

Octavia (12:56 PM):  
I just ended class too! Wanna just head over to the dining hall now?

Raven (12:56 PM):  
Way ahead of you sister! I’m already on my way over.

Octavia (12:58 PM):  
Not surprised. Get your self fed first before you blow someone up.

Raven (12:59 PM):  
Hey, it happened one time and that is an over exaggeration and… just incorrect. There were no casualties!

Octavia (1:02 PM):  
LMAO. Where’s Clarke at?

Clarke (1:05 PM):  
Sorry! Just woke up from a nap! I’ll be there in 5 minutes.

(If your definition of “nap” means being on your phone while lying in bed while stalking someone on Facebook, then that’s exactly what she did)

Octavia (1:06 PM):  
See y’all soon!

* * *

All three girls met up at the dining hall and they each grabbed something to eat. They found a booth in the back corner and Raven started talking, “Now that we have some food, let’s get to talking.” Raven pointed at Octavia with her fork and got right to business, “O first. Since you’re the one that has the most to say apparently.”

Octavia claps her hands together, inhales, and smiles before she lets her breath out. “So y’all aren’t the only ones who hung out with a Woods last night,” Octavia said through her hands held in front of her mouth. Her hands are covering her face, but you can tell she’s smiling behind because of her eyes. The were slightly squinted and they had a twinkle.

“Wait, there’s 3 Woods siblings??” Clarke glances looks between Octavia and Raven.

“Yes, Clarke. Try and keep up!” Octavia giggles. 

“Only 3? Or am I gonna find out there’s a fourth?” Clarke questions as she raises an eyebrow.

Raven and Octavia burst out laughing. “That would actually be hilarious!” Raven managed to muster out while she’s laughing. Once the moment died down, Raven prods Octavia, “Okay, keep going! How did you meet him?”  
Octavia looks at Clarke and says, “Clarke, remember when you grabbed me and told me you were stepping out for some air?” Clarke nods as she’s listening attentively. “Right when you left, I went to the fridge in the kitchen to grab another beer. When I turned around, I bumped into Lincoln.” Clarke’s wearing a confused look. Octavia understands, “He’s the youngest Woods sibling and he’s a freshman like us.” 

Clarke nods and has finally caught up and Octavia continues, “We started talking and then all of a sudden one of his friends tells him he’s up next for beer pong. That’s when he turned, smiled, and looked at me and asked me to be his partner.” Octavia smirked and said, “That’s when we started running tables for the next 5 games. Everyone was trying to take us down, but they couldn’t. We were on a roll. Even Bellamy and Jasper tried and failed. Which is actually why Jasper got as drunk as he did because he trolled and everyone forced him under the table and just started handing him drinks and shots.” 

Octavia sighs, “Poor kid.. Anyways, afterwards, we got tired of playing and he asked me to dance.” The girl’s cheeks turned slightly pink, “We started dancing together and things got a little heated while we dance because… I mean, have you seen him?? He’s the darkest of the Woods siblings and he’s so incredibly muscular and hawwwwt.” Clarke thinks to herself, _Lexa’s pretty hot_. Clarke snaps out of it and internally smacks herself across the face. 

She tunes back into Octavia’s story. “Right before things got too heated, Bellamy found me.” Raven and Clarke’s eyes widen and Raven got the words out first, “Oh my god, what did he do?” Octavia rolled her eyes and her tone changed, “What do you think he did? Of course he got in between us and pushed Lincoln backwards.” Octavia said exasperatedly. “I grabbed Bellamy’s arm and I pinched the shit out of him and got his attention. I told him to back off. Surprisingly, he didn’t start a fight or anything like he’s done before. Probably because Lincoln’s has at least 30 lbs more muscle then Bell.” Raven chuckles and then waves her hands signaling Octavia to keep going. “He just pointed at me and said, ‘We’ll talk later’ and left. But afterwards, I had to explain to Lincoln that I just have an over-protective brother. He related because he has 2 older sisters. Afterwards, the conversation just kept flowing and we just sat and talked for the rest of the night.”

Octavia let’s out a happy sigh, “It was so easy to talk to him, you know? Even though we danced very… very… provocatively, when we were talking he never tried to insinuate hooking up or anything. It just felt easy and safe. Like I could trust him with anything even though I had just met him.” Clarke thought about Lexa. That’s exactly how she felt when she was with her. Of course, the context and situation are complete different, but she did share the same feelings Octavia’s describing with Lexa.

Now it’s Raven’s turn to prod Clarke. “Now it looks like you have something to say. You’re thinking so hard it’s showing.” Octavia chimes in, “What happened when you went outside?” Clarke sighs, and thinks, _here it goes_.

* * *

For the next 30 minutes Clarke recaps the rest of her night to her best friends. She told them how she briefly thought about Niylah which made both Octavia and Raven roll their eyes. Raven interrupted, “I’m sorry, but I told you she was trash. She thought the world revolved around her. I knew y’all weren’t going to work out in the end.” Clarke saw Octavia nod in agreement, but Clarke didn’t even want to comment on that and just waved Raven’s comment aside.

She then took a deep breath and told them what happened next. She told them how some boy spilled a drink on her and tried to help her clean off. She told them how he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the side of the house and how she remembers not being able to shake him off. Raven and Octavia’s faces were a mix between murder and sympathy. Then when Clarke thinks about Lexa, her tone changed, “Then that’s when Lexa jumped in a punched the life out of him.” Clarke couldn’t help but smile at the image of Lexa coming to her rescue in true damsel in distress style.

Raven notices the smile and smirks, “Well, that’s one way to get the girl.” Clarke smiles at the comment. She then continues to tell them how Lexa took her to the pool house and gave her a change of cloths and brewed her a cup of tea. She told them how they didn’t really get the chance to talk as much because shortly after she drank her cup of tea, Octavia called and she left Lexa’s company. As if all the dots finally connected, Octavia slowly nods her head and says, “Now that makes sense. That’s why you came back with a hoodie.” Clarke nods. She places a finger on her chin realizing something, “Come to think of it, I actually left my clothes at Lexa’s last night.”

Clarke then turns towards Raven raising an eyebrow, “What about you Raven? Care to share?” Raven just shrugged and said, “I told you this morning, Clarke. Anya and I would just steal each other away for a couple of minutes and we just made out. It was obvious she was attracted to me since she invited me to the party. So we drank and danced a little and there you have it.” Clarke refuses to accept that’s it. “Oh, come on, I know you’re leaving something out. Spill.” 

Raven doesn’t say anything for a while. She actually gets up and says she’s going to get more food and leaves. When she gets back, she sits down and finally spilled, “Let’s just say, even though I didn’t talk to Anya like you did with Lincoln or have a knight in shining armor rescue me from distress, I think I’m starting to develop a crush on her.” 

Octavia gasps. She clears her throat and holds an invisible microphone against her lips and looks at Clarke, “Welcome back to Raven Radar, has Radiant Raven finally found her match? Stay tuned for more updates.” Clarke bends over laughing and Raven rolls her eyes while holding a smile. “Shut up, O. I don’t know why you always call me ‘Radiant Raven’ anyways.” Clarke looks at Raven, “Rae, come on, it’s no surprise that out of our entire friend group in high school, you definitely got the most.” Raven grinned and puffed her chest, “You damn right I did! And it’s definitely because of my charming personality and amazing looks.” Raven flips her hair over her should and stares away looking no where. 

Octavia and Clarke laugh together and Raven joins in. It’s moments like this where Clarke appreciates having her best friends. Even though she only met Octavia freshman year in high school, Clarke considers her her best friend. She’s arguably the one that holds the three girls together. She’s can be motherly one minute and the next she could be taking a beer bong like a champ.

Raven on the other hand is always the wild card. She the one always looking for fun. Whether it’s a party or a girl’s night or a kick back. In Clarke’s opinion, Raven’s best quality is her loyalty. Knowing someone for as long as they’ve known each other, you go through some shit. But, through thick or thin, Raven has always stuck next to Clarke. She the type that will chew someone’s head off for you if they mess with you the wrong way. 

“Alright, as much as I love y’all, I’m ditching because I’m fucking exhausted,” says Octavia as she starts to let out a yawn.

Raven starts to yawn as well, “You know, you’re right. Come on, Clarke. Let’s go take a nap.” 

The three girls put their dishes and cups away. They exchange hugs outside the dining hall and go their separate ways.

* * *

Lexa is walking back towards the parking garage. She just received a text from Anya saying her class is about to end. She walks over to her Lexus IS 350 and starts the engine. Lexa loves her car. It’s her baby. She receives another text from Anya telling her to meet her at the Student Union. When she sees her sister, she stops in front of her and unlocks her door. Anya looks exhausted. She probably got zero sleep, dealing with a hangover, and attended all 5 classes in one day.

“Take. Me. Home. Please,” was the first thing she said once she enters the car. She immediately relaxes in the seat, leans the seat back, and shuts her eyes. Lexa shakes her head and grins. She shifts her car in drive and slowly drives them back home.

When Lexa parked her car in the garage, she nudged Anya. The drive from her house to campus is only 15-20 minutes and Anya managed to fall in deep sleep. Anya’s brows furrowed when Lexa shoves her again. “Okay, okay. Shit, Lexa. Just give me a second. I’m so tired.”

“Fine, I’m going inside then. Just make sure you don’t actually fall asleep in the car and close the garage door,” responded Lexa as she closes the driver door. Lexa just gave her a grunt and figured that’s all she was going to get from her sister. She walks out the garage and walks towards the house. She noticed Gustus and Indra’s car are parked in front of the house in the circle drive way.

She hasn’t seen her parents in a week since they went away to a conference in Europe. When she entered the house, the sticky floors have been polished and everything has been returned back to normal. She smirked as she realized Lincoln probably got everything taken care of before their parents returned. She sees Indra working on something in the kitchen and Gustus was sitting on the couch in front of the mounted TV in the living room reading the newspaper.

Lexa looks over to Indra and smiles, “Y’all are back!”

Indra meets Lexa’s gaze and lets out a small smile, “We just got back 30 minutes ago. Dinner will be ready in an hour.” Indra diverts her attention back to the cutting vegetables.

“How are you Lexa? How are your classes this semester?” Gustus spoke up when he realized Lexa’s home. “They’re fine, Dad. Taking three political science classes, one psychology, and one history. Nothing I can’t handle,” Lexa said nonchalantly. Gustus grins, “That’s my girl. Go and relax and change. We’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

Lexa nods. Before she heads out the large sliding glass door to the pool house, she turns on her heels and spoke, “Oh yeah, Anya is still sleeping in my car and refuses to move. Can you send Uncle Ryder over in about 10 minutes to make sure she’s okay and closes the garage door?” Indra rolls her eyes, “I bet she’s exhausted after last night.” Lexa smiles and shrugs, “You know how she is.” Gustus chimes in, “We’ll take care of her.” Lexa nods and closes the sliding glass door.

The walk from the house to the pool house is short. The pathway to the pool house is lined with lights along the side. Her parents installed these lights after Lexa decided to move her room to the pool house. When she reached her door, she entered her personalized code on her door handle and walked in. While she removes her shoes she speaks, “Alexa, I’m home.” Alexa’s voice fills the room, “Welcome home, Lexa.” The over head lights gradually turn on to half intensity, the lights underneath her cabinets in the kitchen light up, and hallway light turns on. 

She walks straight to the kitchen. She grabs a bottle of water and chugs it until it’s half empty. She then walks down the hallway to her bedroom and turns on the light. There’s nothing too special about her bedroom. She has night stands on each side of her California king with white sheets and pillow and a light grey comforter nicely made on top. She has a niche on the opposite wall of the bed. The niche has a nice long and wide window and beneath the window is her desk.

She walks over to her desk and places her backpack on her chair. She then walks towards her bathroom and turns on the light. She has a walk in shower and a separate from her knee deep tub. She walks past the tub and shower to her walk in closet. She changes into something comfortable—sweatpants and her a black tank top. She turns off all the lights as she leaves her bedroom, grabs her half full water bottle and settles down on the couch in the living room. She turns on her TV and PS4 and turns on Netflix. She decides to play some Grey’s Anatomy as some background music. She has seen every episode of Grey’s Anatomy at least twice. Lexa believes in another life time, she would be a doctor—specifically a General Surgeon like Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey, and Meredith Grey.

She lays down on the couch and props her legs up. She scrolls through all her social media accounts which really just consists of cute animal videos and photos. Her ultimate weakness. She never really uses her social media accounts. She has Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, but she rarely posts anything on them. Like her Facebook profile picture was from 3 years ago when she went to the Rocky Mountains with her family.

She decided to entertain herself. _I wonder_ …, Lexa thought. Before she knows it, she tapped the search bar in the Facebook app and searched, “Clarke Griffin”. When she saw the profile picture of the first ‘Clarke Griffin’ she knew it was her. You can’t mistake those ocean blue eyes for anyone else. She tapped on her profile and was thoroughly surprised. She had about 800+ friends and no mutual friends. She didn’t find out anything besides superficial information about the blond. She tapped on her profile picture and saw her standing between the girl she met earlier today, Octavia, and another familiar looking skinny brunette. 

She can’t remember where she’s seen the other skinny brunette from, but that doesn’t matter because her full attention is on the blond standing between them. From the looks of it, they’re standing on the stairs of someone’s porch holding red cups. Clarke is wearing a white deep v-neck shirt with denim short overalls. One of her the clips of the overall is unclipped and hung loosely to her body as the other clip is securely fastened. Her hair is shorter compared to her hair now and she’s wearing her aviators on top of her head to hold back those luscious locks of blond hair.

She’s smiling the biggest smile she’s seen yet from the girl and she can’t help but conclude that the blond looks extremely happy. She taps on the photo and reads the caption: “When you and your girls are single and ready to mingle ;D”. Lexa noticed this was posted 3 months ago in May. _She’s single now, hmm?_ , Lexa grins at the thought. She’d be stupid if she thought Clarke wasn’t attractive. And after this morning when she saw Clarke sitting in the lecture hall of her psychology class, the image of blond has been slipping in her thoughts a lot more often.

That’s when she remembers they’ve exchanged phone numbers earlier today. She contemplates whether or not she should text her. _What would I even say? It would be weird to text her right now if I don’t have a reason_ , Lexa thinks. Before she could even make a decision, Gustus sent her a text message saying dinner was ready. She sighs as she closes her phone. She heads towards the door and puts her shoes on. She walks over to the house and all she could think about was Clarke Griffin.

* * *

Clarke wakes up from her nap and she feels and arm gently placed around her stomach. Ever since Raven and Clarke were little girls, they’d always take naps together. This never changed even when they were in middle school or high school. They were just comfortable with each other. They have a mutual understanding that they have absolutely no attraction towards each other. They both agreed it would be like dating your sister. She reaches towards her phone on her night stand as subtly as she can, trying to not wake the sleeping girl behind her. Her phone screen lights up and it’s showing 8:17 PM. _Holy shit, did we just nap for 6 hours?_ She thinks and there’s nothing for her to do anyways if she was to get up, so she decides to just lay there and check her phone.

She’s scrolling through all her social media accounts and when she opens her Facebook app, Lexa’s profile appears on her screen. Her heart stops for a moment as if it needed a moment to return to a normal. After listening to Octavia talk about Lincoln today, she knew deep down inside she wants something more from Lexa, not just friendship. _Y’all barely know each other, she reasons with herself. At least get to know her first before you dive into this head first. Lord know, you can’t afford another Niylah_.

Suddenly she remembers they exchanged phone numbers earlier today. That’s when she remembers the professor’s request earlier that day.

_If you have a group in mind already, you will have until tonight at 11:59 PM to submit all 3 of your classmates’ ID numbers to me via your Black Board account_.

She first texts Octavia asking her what her student ID number is. After 5 minutes of no response, she concludes that Octavia is probably still asleep. She knows she needs to get email the professor sooner rather than later or else she knows she’ll forget. She creates a new message and selects “Lexa Woods” as her recipient. She types, “Hey! It’s Clarke. I’m about to send the email to our psychology professor our student ID numbers for the group project. Last chance to back out!”

_Here goes nothing_. She taps “Send”. She sees her message pop up in a blue text bubble. And now she waits.

* * *

Lexa just finished dinner and is sitting around the living room with her family as she listens to her parents talk about their trip to Europe. She suddenly feels her phone vibrate. She takes her phone out and see that she’s received a text message from Clarke Griffin. Her eyes unconsciously widen and her heart beats a little faster. She slides her finger across the text messages immediately and unlocks her phone. 

Clarke Griffin (20:27):  
Hey! It’s Clarke. I’m about to send the email to our psychology professor our student ID numbers for the group project. Last chance to back out!

She can’t help but smile. She quickly types out her response.

Lexa (8:30 PM):  
I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world! Count me in.

When Lexa looks up, she notices Anya looking at her with a mischievous grin. She quickly turns away and tries to make herself useful.

“Dad, would you like more water?” Lexa said as she got up and grab his cup anyways.

“Oh, yes, thanks, Lexa.” Gustus was caught off guard by Lexa’s sudden outburst.

Lexa walks over to the kitchen and refills her dad’s water. She checks her phone and sees another text from Clarke.

Clarke (20:31):  
Great! What’s your ID number then?

She then suddenly feels a presence over her shoulders.

“Who’s Clarke Griffin?”

Lexa turns on her heels while simultaneously locking her phone screen. She’s now face to face with Anya harboring a very mischievous looking grin.

“No one.. She’s just someone in my psychology class,” said Lexa with a straight face. She tried to keep her tone as level as she could.

“Uh huh… You’re not fooling anyone, Alexandria,” Anya said as she puts her cup in the sink. She looks back at Lexa and gives her a not so subtle wink and walks away.

Lexa contemplates her sister’s reaction. It’s true she hasn’t felt this interested in getting to know someone since Costia. She can’t deny her attraction towards Clarke. When she responds to Clarke’s text with her ID number. She smiles and thinks to herself, _this is going to be an interesting year_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a good week! This is one of my favorite chapters, so I hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> Again, forgive me for any spelling, grammar, or syntax errors!
> 
> I own nothing

The next couple of weeks, Clarke had a pretty good routine going on. She would set her alarm every morning at 8:15 AM and another at 8:30 AM. She needs the 15 minutes to mentally prepare herself to get up for the day. After she would get ready, she would wait for Raven and then head over to the dining hall to get breakfast. Octavia would meet up with them occasionally in the mornings if she got to campus on time. Sometimes she would be late and didn’t have enough time to meet up.

Clarke’s longest days are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She would have an hour lunch break in between her two classes and then attend her last class of the day. Tuesday and Thursday were her short days—psychology and theater back to back ending her day by 1:00 PM. 

After two weeks of her routine, she decided to pick up some volunteering hours Saturday mornings at Polis Memorial whenever she would have time. She would help nurses and residents run blood work or help out at the nurse’s station with some filing. Volunteering also gave her sometime to visit Abby and catch up on each others lives. Abby would always ask how her classes are going and Clarke would always answer, “Nothing I can’t handle, Moooom.”

Although these light-hearted check ups were repetitive, they always kept her ambitions in check. She knows her freshman year is crucial to her success in her future years. If she was to tank her freshman year, her GPA will suffer in the long run which would cause a domino effect on her goals to become a General Surgeon. 

Unlike some of her classmates, she was truly interested in Biology. Clarke knew she didn’t have to major in Biology in order to become a doctor or even to apply to medical schools, but she truly is 100% interested in the biological structure of humans. She’s fascinated in the process of cellular regeneration and how your body is ultimately trillions upon trillions of microscopic cells combine together. That thought always manages to blow her mind and fuel her interest in the field of medicine.

Today is Saturday and Clarke’s in the middle of her lunch break and she had a couple of minutes before she had to go find Nurse Jackson. She was playing a logic puzzle app on her phone when she received a text message from Lexa.

Lexa (12:52 PM):  
Have you studied for the quiz that due tomorrow for polisci?

Ever since Clarke broke the ice by texting Lexa weeks ago, they’ve had a very platonic relationship. A majority of their conversation was always about their classes together—assignments, quizzes, discussions. Clarke truly appreciates it because it’s been a while since she’s met someone as academically driven as she was. Lexa was always on top of her assignments and deadlines. She always made sure Clarke is too—even though Clarke’s is always in control too. However, one time last week, Lexa decided to start an actual conversation.

* * *

_Last Thursday at 2:00 PM._

_Clarke is at the library re-writing all her notes from yesterday and today. Tedious, but it always proved to help her understand and engrain the information in her head. She usually has her phone on silent when she’s in the library because she doesn’t want to be disturbed. So when her phone vibrated suddenly, she jumped. She turned her phone around and she had to rub her eyes just to make sure what she was reading was correct._

_Lexa (2:20 PM):_   
_What you doing?_

_At this point, Lexa has never randomly texted her first without asking a questions about classes or assignments. So when Lexa asked that question, she doesn’t even know what to say, but she replies truthfully._

_Clarke (14:23):_   
_I’m at the library summarizing my notes from yesterday and today. You?_

_Clarke sends the text and waits. She wondered if she should have lied and said she was doing something else besides school work. She thought to herself, great, she probably thinks you’re a boring person that actually studies rather than procrastinate the night before a test or quiz. She bites her bottom lip as she waits for a response. After a couple of minutes has past, she sighs and locks her phone. Hunch confirmed, she officially thinks you’re a boring person. Right when she was about to get back to her notes, her phone buzzes._

_If anyone had seen how quickly Clarke dropped her pen and grabbed her phone, she’d be embarrassed. Good thing she’s in a single stall cubicle in the silent zone of the library._

_Lexa (2:34 PM):_   
_I didn’t think anyone summarized their notes anymore._

_She dropped her head on the textbook in front of her. Em-bare-a-sing, Clarke. You should have lied! Why do you have to be so honest! When she manages to suck in the dignity she has left, she looks at her phone and notices Lexa’s currently typing something. Clarke bites her lip waiting for what else Lexa will say._

_Lexa (2:35 PM):_   
_I find summarizing notes a very effective way of retaining information. I do it every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes Saturday’s too, if I can find time._

_Clarke’s jaw dropped. She’s never met someone else who agreed with her. She spent hours one day during high school trying to convince her friends that rewriting and summarizing their notes will help them to understand the material better, but they just didn’t see the point. And now, there’s Lexa, this beautiful, wonderful, intelligent girl who agrees with her._

_Clarke (14:37):_   
_Wait, you’re kidding right? You’re just saying that so I don’t completely sound like a dork?_

_Clarke waits for Lexa to respond, but Lexa is taking a while to respond so she decides to just set her phone down and continue her work. She smiles thinking how someone finally agrees with her theory. But, is she really smiling about that or is she smiling because that someone happens to be a particular stunning brunette?_

_When she managed to get her writing groove back, she doesn’t check her phone until at least 2 hours later. It’s now 4:45 PM. She hasn’t finished her psychology notes yet, but she figured she could just work on them tomorrow. She picks up her phone thinking about shooting Raven and Octavia a message when she realized she has a missed message from Lexa._

_Lexa (3:37):_   
_Are you still at the library?_

_Oh shit, she sent that a least one hour ago! She quickly responds._

_Clarke (16:47):_   
_I’m so sorry! I must have missed my phones vibration! I was so focused on finishing my notes._   
_I’m still at the library, but I’m getting ready to pack up and leave._

_Clarke puts her phone down and does exactly what she said. She starts gathering all her belongings—textbooks, notebooks, pens, highlighters. Once she finished packing, she tucks her chair underneath the desk and slides the sliding door open and walks out towards the main area of the library. When she reaches the outside of the library, her phone vibrates._

_Lexa (4:53 PM):_   
_I like a girl who’s focused on her studies._

_Clarke stops right in her tracks. Her heart is thumping and she feels the blood rush to her face. Is she hinting at something?? Is this a sign?? Is this Lexa way of flirting?? What do I say?? What should I say?? Oh, gosh I’m taking too long to respond. WhatdoIsay, WhatdoIsay, WhadoIsay?!_

_Her thumbs are playing thumb wars against each other, hovering over the keyboard on her phone. She feels like time is racing against her. She’s stuck and she really doesn’t know what to say. She’s never been so stumped before, not even with Niylah and she thought taking the first step with her was difficult. Before she could conjure up a phrase, she sees those speech bubbles appear again._

_Lexa (4:55 PM):_   
_I was going to ask if I could join you so we could compare notes, but I left the library 30 minutes ago._

_Clarke (16: 56):_   
_Aw man… Another time?_

_She feels like she should add something else. Something else to save her dignity from her lack of game right now._

_Clarke (16:56):_   
_I wanna know if the famous Lexa Woods is actually paying attention in class or if she’s just trying to get free notes ;)_

_Clarke has been biting her bottom lip ever since she started typing that sentence. She feels the butterflies in her stomach doing 360º flips. Was the wink too much? Well, she’s about to find out as she sees the speech bubble appear again._

_Lexa (4:58 PM):_   
_I pay attention! I can’t say the same about you though ;P_

_Clarke covered her mouth. Clarke and Lexa share two classes together and they started sitting next to each other after the party weeks ago. Whenever they were in class together, Clarke couldn’t help but sneak a peak at Lexa a couple of times. The way Lexa’s hair perfectly caressed her face as she’s writing her notes in her notebook. The way her pen gracefully dances along the paper beneath her hand. The way her eyes squint, her lips curl upwards, and her brows furrow when the professor says something Lexa’s trying to understand. She tried to be as sneaky as possible, but clearly, she wasn’t as sneaky as she thought._

_Clarke (17:01):_   
_Hey! I’ll have you know that I’m great at multitasking! I’ll even bet my notes are more through than yours._

_Clarke has finally reached her dorm. She took her key out and unlocked the door. She set her backpack next to her desk and took her shoes off before sitting on the edge of her bed. She opens her group message with Raven and Octavia asking them if they wanted to meet up for dinner. Buzz, buzz._

_Lexa (5:03 PM):_   
_Challenge accepted. What will I get if I win this bet?_

_Clarke clearly did not think this through. She decides to deflect the question._

_Clarke (17:04):_   
_I don’t know. What do you want?_

_Lexa (5:05 PM):_   
_Well, there’s a new coffee shop that opened around the corner of my house. I pass by it every morning when I go running and have always wanted to go. When I win this bet, you’ll join me._

_Clarke doesn’t know if she’s smiling because of Lexa’s extreme confidence or because of the fact Lexa just arranged a date with her as a part of the bet. Clarke decides to add fire to the flame._

_Clarke (17:06):_   
_And what if I win? What do I get?_

_Lexa (5:06 PM):_   
_Well, what do you want?_

_Clarke grins._

_Clarke (17:07):_   
_There’s a restaurant called Little Italy on University drive that I want to try. When I win this bet, you’ll accompany me for dinner ;)_

_Lexa (5:07 PM):_   
_Deal. You’re on._   
_What are the rules of this bet?_

_Clarke (17:11):_   
_How about this? We’ll take notes all week and next Saturday we can meet at the library at 2:00 PM and compare notes and see who’s notes are better._

_This has to be the dorkiest bet Clarke has ever been apart of. But, lets be real, at this point, it’s a win-win situation for her._

_Lexa (5:12 PM):_   
_Sounds good to me. You better put your game face on next week, Clarke. I’m not going to go easy on you._

_Clarke (17:13):_   
_Please, this is hardly a challenge. I could take you any day, Woods._

_Lexa (5:13 PM):_   
_You have no idea who you’re going up against. You might as well just expect to grab a nice cup of coffee with me next Saturday._

_Before Clarke could respond, Lexa is already typing another text._

_Lexa (5:13 PM):_   
_Sorry to cut the conversation short, but I have to set the dinner table for my family. I’ll talk to you later, Clarke. Have a pleasant evening._

_Clarke blushes at how formal Lexa can be sometimes._

_Clarke (17:13):_   
_You too, Lexa. Hope you enjoy your dinner! Talk to you soon._

* * *

Clarke smiles as she remembers the bet they drew up last week. Clarke has been looking forward to today all week. Clarke hates to admit that she actually had to try extremely hard this week to not glance over and look at Lexa. Even though it is a win-win situation for her, Clarke is innately competitive. She can already imagine Lexa sitting across from her with a glass of red wine in Little Italy. Clarke smiles as she responds to Lexa.

Clarke (12:53 pm):  
I have… With my wonderful, detail-oriented notes I took this week in class ;P

Clarke can’t help but giggle out loud. This entire week they’ve been giving each other a hard time in class. It got so bad at one point, on Wednesday during polisci, Lexa literally sat in 3 rows in front of Clarke. Clarke was stunned that Lexa had to resort to sitting so far away from her, but in her head she thought, _I distract her too_.

Lexa (12:54 PM):  
We’ll find out soon. We’re still down for 14:00 at the library right?

Clarke has never met anyone else other than her dad who uses military time, but her dad taught her at a young age how to just subtract 12 to figure standard time. _Of course Lexa would use military time_ , Clarke smiles as she rolls her eyes.

Clarke (12:55 PM):  
Yes, Commander. I’ll see you in an hour! I gotta go though, I’m volunteering at the hospital. I’ll meet you on the second floor of the library next to the stairs.

_Commander?_ Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. _Whatever, I’ll just ask her later_ , Lexa thought.

* * *

After her workout this morning, Lexa decided to finish summarizing her notes from this week. After hours of working, that’s when she decided to shoot Clarke a text to confirm their meeting today. After Clarke confirmed and returned to her work at the hospital, she thought back to the week sitting in class with Clarke.

* * *

_On Monday when she walked in to her last polisci class of the day, she saw the radiant smile on Clarke’s face. She wore a deep blue v-neck tank top that does nothing but bring attention to her breasts. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that Clarke has an above average bust. And if anyone is watching their encounter, it’s obvious that Lexa likes a woman with a large bust. She also wore blue earrings that compliments her facial features…and brings out those eyes. Oh man, it’s going to be difficult to concentrate today, she thinks. She realized she’s been staring, but she can’t break the urge to keep staring._

_“Hey, Lexa!” Clarke notices Lexa’s moment of hesitation and follows her line of sight. She says seductively, “You like what you see?”_

_The way Clarke is looking at her makes her growl internally. This is definitely intentional. She wants to play dirty? Well, two can play this game, Lexa thought. Suddenly, you can visibly see a mask drape across her face as her façade changed._

_With a serious tone, “I’m just simply admiring the beauty you’ve bestowed upon me today. It’s not every day you get to be in the presence of a goddess.”_

_When she saw Clarke’s cheeks turn three shades red, she couldn’t help but think, check. But, Lexa has one more trick up her sleeve. Clarke still hasn’t said anything yet and right before she takes her backpack off to get ready to sit next to Clarke, she starts removing her jacket._

_“It’s kind of hot in the auditorium today, isn’t it?” Lexa removes the jacket and now all she’s wearing is her athletic top that shows off her toned and sculpted arms and back. If Lexa thought Clarke’s cheeks were red already, it was nothing compared to the vision in front of her. Clarke’s cheeks are so red that Lexa could feel the heat radiating off of her. Clarke is now the one staring and she’s doing nothing to hide her glare. Lexa turns around and gets ready to sit down. Her face is now turned away from Clarke allowing Clarke to see her exposed back. Lexa feels her eyes squint slightly as she smiles and thinks, checkmate._

_When she sits down in her seat, she still feels those blue eyes fixed on her. She glances over and noticed Clarke’s mouth is now slightly open. Lexa slowly leans towards Clarke and guides her hand towards Clarke’s chin. When their skin made contact, Clarke’s attention finally finished her journey around Earth’s atmosphere and landed back in this auditorium. She snaps her mouth shut and looks deeply in those green eyes. That’s when she realized their face is literally only 3 inches apart._

_Lexa leans in closer to the point where their cheeks are only centimeters apart. She whispers, “Close that mouth before you start drooling.” Clarke couldn’t help but let out a small whine. When Lexa starts slowly moving back to her space, Clarke’s eyes glances down at Lexa’s lips that are curved upwards in a smile and she feels a shiver travel from her neck down to her lower back. What have I done, is the only thing Clarke manages to think before class starts._

_That was the beginning of the week. As the week progressed, things got too intense. On Tuesday, Clarke wore a tight athletic jacket over a black tank top with black leggings. Her golden locks were in perfect curls as they hung over her shoulders. Her tank top purposefully pulled down to expose her voluptuous breasts that she knows will inevitably take Lexa’s attention. After yesterdays encounter, Lexa decided to wear her most revealing black leggings with mesh that trails along the side to show off her defined thighs along with a white tank top that says Polis. She tied the bottom of her tank top to the side in a knot exposing her toned abs too. If Octavia hadn’t been in class with them to keep them focused on the lecture, without a doubt, both girls wouldn’t have been able to pay attention in class._

_It wasn’t until Wednesday where Lexa almost admitted defeat. When she walked in on the left side of the auditorium, she immediately noticed the blond. She was wearing a high waist black skirt with a white deep v-neck. The material of the shirt must have been thin because Lexa can see her red laced bra she was wearing underneath. Clarke’s hair was also tied up in a messy bun exposing her neck and collar bone. Clarke is a vision. She is absolutely stunning. When Clarke made eye contact with Lexa, Lexa couldn’t’ taken it anymore. She turned on her heels and headed back out of the auditorium. She placed her hand on the wall to steady herself and took a deep breath in. She held her breath for 10 seconds before she exhaled._

_There is no way she’ll will be able to sit next to Clarke looking like that. When she made her way back to into the auditorium, she made the cowardly decision to turn the corner and sit 3 rows in front of where she’d normally sit with Clarke. Without the distraction, Lexa was able to take diligent notes for the first time the entire week. When class was dismissed, she still couldn’t face the blond, so she quickly gathered her belongings and bolted out the door._

_On Thursday, she noticed Clarke tone it down. She’s now wearing a red Polis University t-shirt with white shorts and chucks. Very similar to what she wore when Lexa first met her. She walks over and sits next to Clarke. Clarke looks over and wears a gentle smile and says, “Morning, Lexa.” Clarke’s tone was gentle and slightly apologetic. Lexa couldn’t resist to match her tone and replies, “Good morning, Clarke. I hope you’re well.”_

_Lexa visibly changed her appearance too. She’s now wearing what she would typically wear on a day to day basis. Neither girls realized the danger they put themselves in when they started this bet. However, Lexa would gladly tank this bet. If she ends up losing, not only will she get to eat at her favorite restaurant, Little Italy, she would get to accompany Clarke._

_On Friday, Clarke and Lexa stopped their little game and played fair. They whispered questions to each other during their lecture and stole innocent glances towards each other. After class, Lexa would walk Clarke either to the library, her dorm, or her next class. She couldn’t get enough of her. The more Lexa talked and learned about Clarke, the deeper the attraction became. This week turned out to be more dangerous than either girl expected._

* * *

Clarke finally steps out of the hospital and takes a deep breath filling her lungs with the hot and humid weather of Texas during the summer. She walks towards her metallic color Volkswagen Tiguan SEL. She starts her engine and takes a minute to tell Lexa that she’s finished her shift and is on her way back to campus. It’s currently 1:30 PM and it takes about 15 minutes to drive from the hospital to the campus. She’ll have enough time to change out of her scrubs into something more presentable.

By the time she got to her dorm, she still had 13 minutes till 2:00 PM.

Clarke hears a knock on her door, “Where you speeding off to?” Raven’s engineering classes are keeping her very preoccupied. Raven tried to explain to her about the different circuits, something about motherboards, and something about wires, but she just couldn’t keep up.

Without drifting her attention from her closet, “I’m meeting up with Lexa to study.” Not entirely a lie. After all, the whole purpose is see who is better at taking notes.

Clarke sees Raven enter her room as she props herself on Clarke’s desk. “Speaking of which, Anya invited me over to a small kick back they’re having at their house later tonight. I asked if I could invite you and Octavia and y’all are invited!”

Clarke thought about it for a second, she was already going to be hanging out with Lexa later tonight. _We could just head over back to her place after. I’ll ask her later_. “Yeah sure! I’m down.” Clarke responded after contemplating for a hot second.

“Great! Do you mind driving tonight or should we take an Uber?” Raven was already on her way out Clarke’s room when she turned around to ask the question.

“You know, let me ask Lexa if she doesn’t mind taking us cause then that would save us an Uber ride.” Clarke stated.

Raven nods and walks towards her room, “Just let me know!”

Clarke decides to go with something casual. Nothing too revealing like earlier this week, but enough to cause a reaction. After a couple of minutes, she’s applied light make up and is headed out the door. She checks her phone and sees a missed text from Lexa.

Lexa (1:48 PM):  
Great, I’ll be there soon too.

By the time she gets to the library, it’s 2:01 PM. She walks up the stairs and immediately spots Lexa sitting at a table with her backpack. She’s wearing black skinny jeans with black ankle high combat boots and a baby blue button up. Her sleeves are rolled up half way to her elbows. Her hair is elegantly braided into a French braid and is resting on her left shoulder. What a gem, Clarke thinks. When she was 10 feet away from the table, Lexa notices her and immediately stands up from her seat. She looks at Clarke with caring eyes and when she’s close enough, she finally speaks, “Hey Clarke, how was your time volunteering at the hospital?”

Clarke noticed the gesture and smirks. You never really meet anyone this generation that treats others with such respect anymore. She wonders why because it’s definitely a bonus. As Clarke takes her seat, Lexa sits down after her. “It was good! I drew a couple patients blood and ran the blood work. I also got to see my mom and catch up with her a little bit which was nice. How about you? How’s your day going so far?”

Lexa got straight to it, “It’s going to be better now since I’ll be trying the new coffee shop I’ve been wanting to go to.”

Clarke rolls her eyes at Lexa and chuckles. “You’re just super confident aren’t you?” Lexa nods and replies, “I secretly pride myself in my diligent note taking capabilities and attention to detail.” Lexa’s head is slightly tilted upwards demonstrating her level of confidence. Clarke just shakes her head and pulls out her notebook.

They sat in the library comparing notes for the next 2 hours. The reason why it took so long was because they kept getting side tracked.

“Shut up! Richard Webber is my favorite character too!” Clarke shouted which drew a lot of attention from the surrounding students. Clarke brings her voice back down, “I want to be a General Surgeon just like Dr. Webber, Dr. Bailey, and Dr. Grey. I forgot the specifics of the scene, but when Dr. Bailey was trying to convince Dr. Grey to choose General Surgery, what she said really clicked with me.”

Lexa thinks long and hard about the scene Clarke is referring to. Her eyes widen and a smile leaks on her face when she remembers the scene, “Oh yes! What did she say again? It was something along the lines of ‘why specialize on one specific organ when you can go from the liver to the pancreas to the stomach and then to the bowels in one surgery?’ And how it’s ‘more fun being the conductor’?”

Clarke doesn’t know if her source of happiness right now is because Lexa was able to remember the exact scene of the moment she’s talking about in Grey’s Anatomy or because of the uncontrollable joy displayed by Lexa’s face for remembering the scene. “That’s the one! Once she said that, it all just made sense. I love the anatomy and biology and everything about the human body. I can’t imagine going through med school and everything else just to specialize on one specific organ.”

Clarke continues to speak with so much passion about her ambitions to become a doctor. Clarke has Lexa under a spell and there’s no denying it. Lexa know she’s starting to like her. If anyone noticed Lexa’s behavior earlier this week, they would have known at least that much.

“Lexa?” Clarke reached over and touched her hand. The warmth of her touch sent sparks flying through her body that causes a her to shiver. She realized she’s just been staring and barely listening to Clarke. Clarke’s voice is just so hypnotizing; she could listen and look at her all day.

“Hmm? I’m sorry, I haven’t eaten much all day because I was working on my summarizing my notes.” Partial lie. She had Chipotle for lunch.

“Well, we could keep going if you want to. We’re almost done anyways.” Clarke’s hand is still on Lexa’s. Clarke squeezes her hands ever so slightly to let her know she’s still willing to stay with the girl.

All of a sudden, Lexa closes her notebook, “You know what? I surrender.” Lexa puts both her hands up motioning such. “You win.”

Clarke’s eyes widen and her mouth dropped a smidge before she spoke, “What? Why?? Not that I’m complaining, but why?”

Lexa puts her hands down and looks at her watch. “It’s 17:08 and I’m starving,” states Lexa. She looks up and catches the blonde’s eyes and smiles, “Looks like someone owes me dinner.” Lexa’s mischievous smile gives it away.

“Lexa Woods! You cheat!” Clarke points at Lexa as she smiles and laughs.

Lexa quirks her eyebrows, “How is that cheating? I simply found a loop hole in the rules and used it to my advantage.” Lexa’s chin is again tilted upwards.

Clarke’s face conveys the look of defeat, “How very lawyer-like. Finding the loop hole and using it to their advantage.” Clarke takes a minute and then continues, “Fine! But you’re buying.” Clarke sticks her tongue out at Lexa like a child. 

“I was planning on it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOO, let me know how you liked it! I absolutely love reading y'all comments!
> 
> Till next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello!  
> Thank everyone for all the comments and kudos! I hope everyone enjoy's this chapter. I did put some personal feels in to this chapter, but I hope y'all still enjoy it!
> 
> Also, to answer a reader's question and also a reminder, even though, Raven, Octavia, and Clarke are freshman in college, we're just going to say they're all 21. And also, I do imagine Lexa as a stud, but a very humble and internally dorky stud... Hope that answers your question!
> 
> I own nothing. Please forgive me for any spelling, syntax, or grammatical errors!

Clarke is back at her dorm trying to figure out an outfit to wear to dinner tonight. 

_I feel like dressing up. Let’s say I pick you up around 19:30. Gives us each enough time to freshen up for dinner?_ Was the last thing Lexa said to Clarke after she walked her back to her dorm from the library. It’s now 7:20 PM and Clarke had finally finished applying her make up. Her hair is now dry from the shower she took earlier. 

_“Where’s the party at?” Raven said with her eyes wide. Once she hears Clarke hastily unlock the door. She saw her immediately start stripping and headed towards the shower. Clarke hurriedly said before she closes the bathroom door, “I’m going on a date and she’ll be here in an hour and a half!”_

Raven’s now helping her go through her clothing options for tonight. After many discussions, Raven finally concludes, “I think you should just go with the sexy blue flowy high-low dress. It brings out your eyes and the thick gold chain strap around the neck works perfectly with your skin tone.” Raven was about to walk out if Clarke didn’t agree because they’ve been bickering for the last 10 minutes.

“Okay, okay, fine.” Clarke said as she grabs the dress off the bed and starts putting it on. Raven looks at Clarke and smiles. “If that doesn’t work on her, then she’s clearly not interested.” Raven turns around and winks at Clarke before she goes back into her room. The blue dress molds to her body perfectly and has an elastic band underneath her breasts so show her figure. The thick golden chains wrap around her neck to hold the dress in place. She finds some heels with gold accents and decides to go with those.

When she’s ready, she walks out to the shared space for Raven to see, “Well?”

Clarke does a quick 360º twirl and sees Raven smile and genuinely says, “You look beautiful, Clarke.” Clarke blushes slightly. She wants to look the best for Lexa. Clarke looks at her phone and see’s that Lexa texted her saying she’s downstairs. Clarke says her good bye to Raven and gives her a hug. When Clarke turns around and starts to walk out the door, Raven gives Clarke a quick and playful slap on the butt and says, “Go get’em, tiger.” Clarke looks back and rolls her eyes at Raven before the door shuts.

* * *

She takes the elevator down to the first floor and walks through the main area. She feels like a million dollars. When she exits the residential hall, she sees Lexa. She tries not to get weak ankles because then her ankles would buckle in the heels, but the sight in front of her making it really difficult. Lexa is standing and leaning on top of her behind her mirror looking flawless as ever. She’s wearing a black blazer with one button buttoned and black pants. She’s wearing a nice white button down underneath that’s been loosely tucked in. Her hair is braided in that beautiful braid Clarke has come to love along the left side of her face. She’s wearing a nice green necklace which happens to match her forest green eyes.

Clarke finally reaches Lexa and the both just needed a moment to take each other in. Lexa wishes she could recreate this moment. She watches as Clarke flawlessly walks over towards Lexa in those black heels. The way she works that high-low dress should be illegal. There’s a slight breeze this evening and when a gust of wind came through, Clarke’s hair slightly pushed back revealing more of her neck. Lexa unconsciously licked her lips when she sees her neck so exposed and vulnerable. When Clarke gets closer, she stands up straight and straightens her jacket. 

Lexa uses every ounce of muscle to make she doesn’t have a shaky break when she speaks, “Wow, you look absolutely stunning.” She sees Clarke smile shyly, “Thanks. I could say the same about you. You know how to clean up.”

Lexa’s lips curve up just ever so slightly. God, Clarke loves that little smile. Lexa gestures to the door and politely says, “May I?” Clarke nods and opens the door for her. Once Lexa shuts the door, she walks behind the car and starts shaking and wiggling her arms. _Oooo, okay. Relax. Just breathe. Ooooo. She unbuttons her jacket before she opens her car door and slides in_. 

“You ready to head out?” Lexa turns towards Clarke and asks. Clarke smiles and nods, “Let’s go.”

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant Lexa had her car valeted. Lexa opens the doors to the restaurant and they entered. The lights in the restaurant were dim and everyone in the restaurant was dress very formally. Clarke read on Yelp that this restaurant was casual in the afternoon and formal in the evenings. Which makes sense why Lexa said she felt like dressing up. 

When Lexa walked up to the counter and said, “Dinner reservation for Woods, please.” Clarke looks over at Lexa with a confused face. Lexa understood that look and simply shrugged her shoulders. Clarke thought, _how does she have a reservation? Did she plan this beforehand?_ The hostess left to make sure their table was ready. And when the hostess returns she speaks to the both of them, “Dinner party for Ms. Woods is ready. Follow me please.”

Lexa walks ahead and Clarke follows. When Clarke notices they are being lead upstairs she becomes confused. She continues up the stairs and immediately notices the ambiance is different. It’s more private and intimate than the first floor. They walked by many couples and when they were led outside to the balcony area, Clarke was shocked.

There was only one table out on the balcony area and there were cute little lights weaving through the wooden railing. There was also little cups of candles placed on top of the railings and everywhere on the balcony. _Okay, she clearly planned this out beforehand_ , concluded Clarke. Clarke remained in place next to the door they just walk out from. She looks outwards and see’s the skyline of downtown Houston. She walks over to the railing and looks down. The restaurant is located on the edge of the Buffalo Bayou that runs along the city (shout out to Bayou City). Clarke feels a presence close behind her.

“Do you like it?” Lexa says shyly.

Clarke brings her head back up and looks outwards towards downtown Houston. “I love it. This is absolutely beautiful.” Clarke breaths out. She finally turns around and raises an eyebrow Lexa before she adds, “How did you plan all this? The reviews for this place always says there’s always a waitlist. Unless…” Clarke starts to walk away from the balcony and brushes past Lexa. She turns around and faces Lexa as she stands in the middle of the balcony and continues, “You planned this all along. Meaning, you knew you were going to purposefully lose the bet!”

Lexa turns around to face Clarke and starts laughing. She takes a step forward with her hands held together in front of her chest and shrugged, “Yes… and no. Here, let’s sit down first.” Lexa walks over to Clarke’s chair and pulls it out for her. _So caring and charming_ , Clarke thought. Everytime Lexa does anything remotely chivalrous, she feels her body become weak and her feelings grow stronger. She walks towards Lexa and takes a seat. Lexa then makes her way over to her seat. Once they were seated the waitress came by and gave them water. The waitress looks towards Lexa and says, “Good evening, Ms. Woods. The usual wine this evening?” Lexa look towards Clarke, “Do you like Cabernet?” Clarke nods. Lexa smiles and turns towards the waitress and says, “Yes, Harper. The usual please.” The waitress named Harper smiles and heads back inside. 

Now Clarke really needs an explanation as to what’s going on. As if Lexa read her thoughts she started to explain. “My uncle owns this restaurant and is the executive chef here as well,” Lexa leans her elbows against the edge of the table and whispers, “And since I’m his favorite niece, he always has a spot reserved for me.” She leans off the table and cracks that small smile Clarke is crazy about.

That only answers half of Clarke’s questions. Clarke didn’t think before she asks, “So this is where you bring all the girls, huh?” Clarke thinks she layered that question with more curiosity than assertion. Harper returned with a bottle of Cabernet served slightly below room temperature. When Harper finished pouring the glasses for the two, she places the bottle on a small table to the side. Before Harper could ask, Lexa beats her to it, “Give us a couple minutes, Harper. We haven’t gotten then chance to look at the menu yet.” Lexa says politely. Harper smiles and disappears inside again. 

Lexa reaches out for her freshly pour glass of wine, takes a second to smell the aroma, and takes a small sip. Clarke watched as Lexa unconsciously licks her lips after she finished sipping the wine. She let out an undetectable exhale and waited for Lexa’s response. Lexa looks at Clarke and says honestly, “Actually, no. This is a place I like to enjoy by myself. Anya or Lincoln don’t usually come here and whenever I just need couple of minutes to myself, I come here.” Clarke felt slightly embarrassed for assuming, but Lexa adds, “Plus, the food here is absolutely amazing.” Clarke senses Lexa’s desire to change the subject. “Well, that’s biased cause the chef is your uncle!”

Lexa chuckles, “You’ll understand when you try the meatballs.”

* * *

Lexa and Clarke ordered the same thing—the classic spaghetti and meatballs. After Lexa’s comment about the meatballs, she knew she had to taste for herself. She was not disappointed. It actually tasted very similar to her dad’s meatballs he used to make. The more she tasted, the more nostalgic she felt. She couldn’t help it when her eyes started watering a bit.

“Clarke, are you alright? Is something wrong?” Lexa placed her fork down and directed her attention towards the blond.

“No, no, Lexa. Everything is perfect. More than perfect really,” Clarke puts her fork down as well and covers her mouth as she speaks. She contemplates whether or not to bring up her dad and she does because Lexa is just so easy to talk to.

“It’s just… These meatballs oddly taste like the meatballs my dad used to make when I was a little girl,” Clarke looks down at her plate and feels her eyes sight start to get watery. She uses all her will to try and not let the water in her eyes trickle down her face. Lexa noticed how Clarke used past tense while she spoke of her dad. Lexa tries to sympathize and speaks lowly, “I’m sorry, Clarke. If I had known…” Before Lexa finishes her sentence, Clarke interrupts, “No, Lexa, you did absolutely nothing wrong. The meatballs are wonderful. If anything, I meant it more like a compliment than anything.” Lexa nods and attempts to lighten the mood, “That’s good, but don’t tell my uncle that or else his head will get too big.” Clarke laughs and Lexa heart is skipping laps inside. She wishes she could bottle up that sound and keep it in her pocket so she can keep it forever. 

After a couple of minutes, Lexa decides to take a daring leap, “So what happened to your dad?” Clarke sighs, _you are strong enough for this_. She looks at Lexa and says carefully, “He passed away from lung cancer when I was a little girl. Second hand smoking. He never smoked a day in his life. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late. He was at stage IV and his prognosis was 4 to 6 months.” 

Lexa reaches out and places her hand on the table to show her support. To Lexa’s liking, Clarke reciprocated and turned her palm up. After a couple seconds, Lexa squeezed her hand reassuringly and Clarke continues, “He was head engineer for the military for several years before I was born and after. He would always have to leave for 2 weeks out of the month and go back to the military base. But when he came back, I remember being so happy. He would spoil me and shower me with anything I wanted. He would sometimes come to my elementary school and sign me out of class just so he could spend more time with me.” Clarke laughed as she unfolded her memories with her dad.

“I remember this one time he signed me out of class when my mom specifically asked him to stop and when my mom found out she was so mad at my dad,” Clarke used the other hand not holding Lexa’s hand to cover her mouth as she laughed harder, “My dad was being scolded by Abby like he was a 7-year-old boy who just got caught stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar. But no matter how many times Abby yelled at him, he would still do it and his reasoning was the same every time. ‘I just want to spend more time with my little girl.’”

When Clarke quoted her dad, all the will in the world wouldn’t have been able to stop that one tear from cascading down the side of her cheek. Lexa had anticipated it and quickly cupped Clarke’s face and wiped the tear away with her thumb. Lexa and Clarke lock eyes and Clarke’s heart aches. It aches for her dad whose time came too soon. It aches for wishing she had more time with her dad. Her little heart shattered 11 years ago because she realized she never got to say goodbye and told her dad that she loves him.

Clarke smiles sweetly at Lexa. She’s never been able to be open and talk about her dad in front of anyone. Not even Raven or Octavia. Even though her dad passed away 11 years ago, it is, and will always be, a sore spot for her. Clarke realized she’s gripping Lexa’s hand a little more tightly than she anticipated. Clarke removes her hand from Lexa’s and Lexa retracts. The hand that was cupping the blonde’s face and holding her hand quickly laid on the table crossed underneath her.

_She is so strong_ , was the only thing that was on Lexa’s mind. She couldn’t imagine losing one of her parents or anyone in her family. “You are strong, Clarke. I hope I can grow to be as strong as you one day.” Clarke replies, “Thanks, but for your sake, I hope you don’t.” Clarke smiles weakly at Lexa and Lexa nods understanding what she means. 

Clarke takes a deep breath and exhales. “Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about yourself. I barely know anything about you.” Clarke grabs a napkin and dabs her eyes to soak up any remain tears. Lexa takes another sip of her wine and the begins, “Well, you know I’m one of three. I aspire to be an attorney like my parents and a corgi mom. I love travelling to different parts of the world learning about the different cultures. I prefer kick backs over house parties. I am a black belt in martial arts. Umm…and…my favorite flavor ice cream is strawberry?” Lexa shrugs at the last comment and Clarke laughs. Lexa adds because she needs to clarify one thing. “And not just any strawberry ice cream. It has to be Blue Bell’s Strawberry and Homemade Vanilla,” Lexa looked at Clarke making sure she heard her statement. 

Clarke says smugly, “Aspiring corgi mom, got it!” Clarke laughs again. Lexa frowned, “Out of all that, that’s all you heard?” 

Clarke laughs even harder. Lexa can’t help but join in. The two girls continued to to finish their meal and wine. When Harper comes back to take their dishes away, she offers to bring the two ladies any dessert. Clarke grabs Lexa’s hand before the brunette was able to say anything. “Wait, I have an idea.” Lexa’s eyebrows raised. Clarke turns to face Harper and just asked for the check. Lexa quickly countered, “Harper, please, allow me.” Clarke insists and reaches for her card and gives it to Harper before Lexa conjures hers. She hands Harper her card and Harper takes it as well. For good measure, Lexa adds, “If I realize you allowed Clarke the pleasure of buying me dinner, then I will speak to your dad.” For the first time all evening, Harper’s professionalism drops. “Really, Lexa. You’ll talk to my dad, really?” Harper says indifferently. Lexa raises an eyebrow and looks at Harper. They have a silent conversation between them and Harper rolls her eyes and walks off.

Clarke says under her breath, “Commander.” Lexa heard it and snaps her head back at Clarke. “You called me that earlier today, why?” Clarke sits up straighter and said, “Commander was my dad’s nickname at the military base. I knew him as the sweetest man in the world partly because he’s my dad. But he was known to always be very commanding and respected at the base.” Lexa’s waited for Clarke to continue. “And since my dad was part of the military, he always used military time. He taught me how to read military time too. So, when you used military time earlier today, you reminded me of my dad,” Clarke’s voice tapered a little when she said the last phrase.

To be honest, there are many attributes to Lexa that reminds Clarke of her dad. How straight edge Lexa is, her mannerisms, how caring she is, and how surprisingly punctual she is too. Even though they’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks, she knows Lexa cares about her and their friendship. Even tonight, Lexa consistently makes an effort to make sure to uplift her mood and to make her smile. Her dad was always able to turn crying Clarke to laughing and giggling Clarke.

When Lexa realized Clarke just compared her to her dad, her chest swells with pride. She’s never met Clarke’s dad before, but by the way Clarke talks about him this evening and the emotion’s that were layered over her voice, she knew this was a major compliment. She wishes she had the chance to meet Clarke’s dad before he passed. She had a feeling she would have liked him very much.

Lexa nods understanding the reference now. Harper returned handing Lexa the checkbook and handing Clarke her card back. Clarke thanks Harper for her wonderful service today and Harper looks at Clarke and says, “So are we going to see you at the family reunion later this year?” Lexa was sipping her last bit of wine when she heard what Harper said. She starts to choke on her wine and starts coughing trying to breathe again. Harper and Clarke look over at Lexa like ‘are you okay…?’ Harper speaks up, “You two are dating right?” 

Clarke’s face turns bright red and she looks at Lexa briefly and looks away. By this time, Lexa has finally gathered herself. She clears her throat and says, “No, Harper. Clarke and I are friends. I lost a bet and my consequence was to take her to dinner.” Harper looks back and forth between the Clarke and Lexa. After a couple of seconds, she finally said, “Mmmhmm.. Whatever you say Lexa.” Harper looks at Clarke and takes a step towards her and whispers just loud enough for only Clarke to hear, “I’ll see you at the family reunion.” Harper takes a step back, winks at Clarke, and walks away with a pep in her step. Clarke’s face is even redder now and Clarke doesn’t know what Harper means. _Whaaaaaat was that_ , was all Clarke could conjure in her head since her brain short circuited moments ago.

After a few moments, Lexa finally spoke up, “So what was your idea?”

* * *

Even though Lexa did say she specifically likes Blue Bell’s Strawberry with Homemade Vanilla, she Lexa mentioned ice cream, she knew she had to go here. Her dad took her here so many times when she was a little girl. They’d drive to Polis University (her parents were both Polis University alumni) and take the light rail through downtown to Discovery Green. It was a neat little park in downtown. There was a man made lake with a terrace. They would walk around, play on the play ground, or play in the water park. After a full day of fun, Clarke’s dad would go to the little ice cream cart at the entrance to the park buy Clarke her favorite flavor ice cream: strawberry.

“Have you ever been to Discovery Green before?” Clarke asked as Lexa was driving towards the park.

“I’ve driven past Discovery Green, but I have never had the opportunity to walk around the park,” Lexa answered.

“I think you’ll like it. I haven’t been back in a long time, so a lot has probably changed.” Lexa said quietly. 

They were lucky enough to find street parking. Lexa went to the metered and paid for two hours. She doesn’t know what Clarke is up to yet. Lexa is a very type A person, she likes to plan things and stick to the plan, but the way Clarke’s face lit up when she came up with an idea, she thinks, _fuck it_.

They went straight to the small local ice cream vender and ordered two strawberry ice creams for them both. The found a small table on the deck next to the lake and started to devour their dessert.

“I know I said I specifically like Blue Bell’s ice cream, but this is a very strong competitor. Thanks for showing me,” Lexa said gratefully.

“My dad would always take me here and right before we’d leave, we’d always get a scoop of ice cream. It was definitely one of my favorite memories,” Clarke smiles as she takes another scoop of her ice cream.

After they finished, they decided to take a walk around the park. They walk slowly side by side through the park in silence. It’s not uncomfortable silence. It’s very similar to the silence they share the night of the party when Lexa brewed her a cup of tea. Lexa looks at her watch and It’s about 21:30. There are other couples walking through the park as well as small families. Lexa looks over at Clarke and she looks complete infatuated with her surroundings. _She probably hasn’t been here in such a long time. Everything must have changed here_ , Lexa thought.

Lexa looks around at all the beautiful art work displayed around the park. Houston is known for it’s diverse culture and most definitely the rodeo. But, Houston also has a proclivity for art. Of course, the art culture isn’t as robust compared to major cities, but there’s definitely enough art culture around to keep it alive in Houston—you just have to look for it.

Lexa is now trailing slightly behind Clarke watching her interact with the surroundings. It was never Lexa’s intentions to be anything other than a friend to Clarke when they first met. Yes, the girl is beautiful and a goddess reincarnated. Yes, there’s an unexplainable urge to always want to be with the girl. So much that she might be on the verge of level clingy. She can literally feel emotions deepening for girl every day. This frightens Lexa. She never felt like this for anyone before—not even Costia and she loved her. How can she feel so scared yet so sure about something at the same time?

Clarke is looking around Discovery Green with brand new eyes. This is the first time she’s been back here since her dad passed. She doesn’t know what compelled her to spontaneously decide to come here with Lexa. All she knows is, it felt right. It feels right. Being here with Lexa for the first time in 11 years. She’s never felt this way about anyone before—not even Niylah and she loved her. This feeling is not tangible to anything she’s ever felt before. Could this be what her dad has always her about?

As the girls walked at their own pace and in comfortable quietness, Lexa’s thoughts were disrupted when she heard a gasp. “Lexa! Look!” Lexa’s heart quickens and her stance dropped, bending at the knees, ready for whoever or whatever caused Clarke to gasp. What she wasn’t ready for was the show in front of her. There was a field of florescent lights that looked like bulbous flowers. The roots of the flowers were all connected to one another. Each bulb was also a different color—red, blue, white, yellow, green, lavender. But what was truly beautiful was Clarke’s face. Clarke is wearing her blue dress squatted down next to the patch of florescent flower-like bulbs. Her face was illuminated by the glow of the light and her eyes popped. She released a smile and walked towards her.

“Look Lexa! Look how beautiful this is!” Clarke said excitedly. She stood up and went to another field of light that had more green and white colors. Lexa followed Clarke and she couldn’t stop smiling.

“They’re almost the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Lexa said calmly.

Clarke’s face furrowed, “What could possibly be as beautiful as this?”

Lexa slowly walked up to Clarke. Clarke almost stumbled backwards at Lexa’s sudden movement in her space. Lexa’s cheek is suddenly next to hers again sharing a similar moment they had earlier this week. Clarke couldn’t move. Her body was completely petrified. She could feel the warmth of Lexa’s body hovering over her front as she stood there anticipating what Lexa was about to say.

Lexa’s body has never been this close to Clarke’s. Earlier this week, they were separated by their chairs, but right now, Lexa can feel the warmth radiating from Clarke’s entire body. When she stepped close she heard Clarke sharply inhale, holding her breath. Lexa folded her hands behind her back and she leans in a centimeter from Clarke’s ear and whispers.

“You.”

Lexa’s footing remains planted to the ground as she brings her head back. She heard Clarke inhale sharply again. She’s now standing face to face with Clarke with their foreheads no more than a couple of inches apart. Their eyes looking at the others lips, breathing shallowly, waiting for the other to make the first move. Clarke raises her hand and places it on Lexa’s upper arm encouraging her while also letting her know she wants this too. With the touch, Lexa unlinks her hands behind her back and gently places her right hand on her waist. Lexa tilts her head to the side and leans in and then…

Lexa’s phone starts ringing.

The bubble surrounding both girls popped and both girls pulled back franticly as if they were caught in the act. Lexa starts feeling around to find her phone while Clarke is flustered, running her hands through her hair and fixing her dress. Lexa looks at Clarke and answers the phone. Clarke can’t read the look on Lexa’s face when they make eye contact as Lexa answers the phone. It conveyed sorry, fear, nervousness, and guilt. Lexa’s stare remains on Clarke as she speaks through the phone and Clarke has to advert her stare because it’s too intense.

They were about to kiss. And Clarke _wanted_ it. She wanted to feel those perfectly lips on hers. She wanted to know how it would feel to kiss Lexa Woods. She wanted to know if would be as good as she’s imagining it. The more Clarke thought about Lexa’s lips, the more flustered she became. She wanted nothing more than to go backwards in time to just moments ago and make the first move to close the distance. 

Lexa hangs up the phone and tries to read Clarke’s face. Both of their chests are heaving. She was so close, so close to discovering how Clarke’s lips would have felt on hers. The look on Clarke’s face and the touch during their shared intimate moment only proved to her that Clarke wants this too. 

Unable to revel in the quietness anymore, Lexa speaks, “That was Anya. She called to let me know that your friends have arrived at the house. I don’t know why I didn’t ask you earlier, but would you like to come over to my place and hangout tonight?”

Clarke smiles trying to relieve the tension from what happened moments ago, “I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the date held expectations! Let me know! I love reading y'alls comments :) Till next time!
> 
> Edit: I forgot to add! If y'all want to get a visual of "bulbous flowers" I referred to in the chapter you can view this link! 
> 
> https://365thingsinhouston.com/2014/11/19/bruce-munro-field-of-lights-discovery-green-houston/#
> 
> I haven't been back in a while since the field of lights, but they were a huge hit in Houston!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muahaha! I was able to complete another chapter sooner than I expected (way sooner). So here you go! I hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> I own nothing. Forgive me for any spelling, syntax, or grammatical errors!

The drive from Discovery Green to Lexa’s was in complete silence. Well, not complete silence. Lexa had music playing in the background while driving, but it did nothing to ease the tension inside the car. The drive was only 10 minutes, but it was the longest 10 minutes of Lexa’s life. She was thinking about the entire night up to the park. Seeing Clarke come out of the building in the blue dress and heels. Her face when she see’s the downtown skyline. How her lips made contact with her glass of wine. How Clarke shed her walls by confiding in her about her dad. Clarke’s spontaneity. Clarke’s joyful laughter. Clarke’s lips that were so close to hers… Clarke, Clarke, Clarke.

“Lexa!”

Lexa snaps out of her daze and slams on the breaks. They’re come to a screeching stopped at the light at the intersection in front of her subdivision.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Lexa frantically looks Clarke up and down to see if she’s in any distress. When she sees no sign of injury she glances back at Clarke eyes. Her chest is heaving, but she has a smile on her face. 

“I’m fine, but we lost you there for a second didn’t we?”

Lexa doesn’t know what came over her. I mean she knows, but this is new to her. She’s never acted like this before. It’s not like Lexa to zone out while driving. She would never risk the lives of the people in her car or damage her car. She puts both hands on the steering wheel and looks down. She sees the light turn green and she proceeded to drive into her neighborhood. She still hasn’t answered Clarke yet as they rolled up to her front gate. Lexa clicks open the gate and as they’re sitting there waiting for the gate to open, Lexa finally answers.

“I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this.”

Lexa then drives forward onto their property. She pulls into the two car garage she shares with Lincoln and parks her car. They sit in the car for just a moment before Lexa turns the car off. Clarke turns towards Lexa and asks, “Lexa, what’s wrong?” Before she answers, Lexa gets out the car, walks to Clarke’s side, and opens the door for her. Clarke slowly gets out the car and once Lexa closes the door, she answers Clarke.

“Clarke-,” was all Lexa can get out before she’s pinned to the side of her passenger door with Clarke’s lips on hers. Clarke sighs deeply into the kiss and lets out a little groan once their lips touch. Lexa is completely taken aback, but when she realizes what’s happening all she could do is place her hands around Clarke’s waist, pull her closer, and close her eyes. Clarke kissed her and now she’s returning the kiss, feverishly. 

Clarke’s hands were gripping Lexa’s blazer holding Lexa close to her. As their kiss intensifies, she moves one hand and places against the side of Lexa’s face on her neck and jawline. Clarke kisses Lexa with so much passion. This was all she was thinking about during the car ride back to Lexa’s. She couldn’t stop thinking about how her lips would feel on hers. She wanted Lexa. She wanted to taste Lexa’s lips on hers. She wanted to make the first move because she knows she wants this and she gets what she wants. She can’t believe she’s been depriving herself this feeling. She bites down on Lexa’s lower lip and elicits a moan from Lexa. 

Lexa’s hands start to rub small circles around Clarke’s waist and then Lexa suddenly grips her waist tightly. Right when Lexa was about to deepen the kiss, Clarke pulls away. They’re foreheads are still connected like earlier, and with the hand still holding Lexa’s face, Clarke gently brushes her thumb across Lexa’s lips. Both of them are breathing heavy and shallow. 

They are back in the bubble and Clarke wants to stay in this bubble forever. Their foreheads remain connected and Clarke’s looking into Lexa’s eyes trying to read her. _She kissed me back. She wants this too, right? I didn’t just complete cross the line?_ Clarke was about to spiral and go into a full panic attack. But then, she felt Lexa wrap her arms around Clarke’s lower waist and pulls her in closer so there’s no space in between. Clarke’s breath hitched because of the added pressure. Clarke’s hand is still on the side of Lexa’s face and her other is gripping the opening of Lexa’s blazer in between their chests. Clarke looks at Lexa and she noticed something different in her eyes. Her eyes are glowing and smiling. Like actually smiling. She hears Lexa finally exhale and Clarke physically felt the tension harboring within Lexa disappear.

Clarke finally racks up the courage and she barely got the words out of her mouth, “Lexa…” Clarke bites her bottom lip while anticipating her response. 

Lexa removes her forehead from Clarke’s and observes the girl in her arms, “I take it back.”

Clarke’s breath caught in her throat. _Oh god, she doesn’t feel the same. I’m in way over my head. I need to go_. She removes her hand from Lexa’s neck and puts both hands on Lexa’s chest and tries to push herself out of Lexa’s hold. But, Lexa only holds her tighter. Clarke looks at Lexa and tries to push away again, but Lexa has an iron grip. She looks at the expression on Lexa’s face and Lexa’s smile widens in a playful manner. Clarke’s now confused. She’s still standing in Lexa’s surprisingly strong arms with both hands on her chest leaning as far away from Lexa she can get. Clarke remains there on the verge of full fledge panic attack when Lexa finally breaks the silence.

“This. Right here. Is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Lexa says smoothly with slick grin.

Clarke exhales the breath she’s been holding and starts to feel the panic attack morph into anger. She finally aggressively pushes off of Lexa that finally forces Lexa to let go. Lexa’s now confused and tries to speak before she was interrupted with another shove to her chest.

“Lexa Woods! You ass!” she shouted at Lexa as she pushes Lexa firmly back on the car.

Lexa’s mouth dropped. She tries to move closer to Clarke to apologize, but when Clarke just shoves her back on the car she stopped there and just watched Clarke. She realized, _if I really offended her, she would have left by now_. And then there it is again, that face. The one just moments ago where Lexa claimed the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. Those perfect curls and the way they still managed to glow in the dim light of the garage. The way the blue in her eyes are almost completely conquered by her black pupils. And then those lips, the way Clarke bites her bottom lip with a seductive smile. _God, she’s absolutely perfect. I’m in so much trouble_ , was the last thought she was able to have before she noticed Clarke’s face change with the look of desire.

Clarke exhaled and closed the space again and wraps a hand around Lexa’s neck and another gently placed on her waist. She pulls Lexa in and pauses to look into Lexa’s eyes when they were just inches away. Lexa’s eyes are completely filled with desire and this time it was Lexa who closed the space between them.

Clarke was expecting a heated and rough kiss, but when she felt Lexa kiss her slowly, she felt weak in her knees. Lexa moves her hand up and grabs a fist full of Clarke’s golden locks. Clarke feels Lexa’s tongue brush over her bottom lip wanting to deepen the kiss. Clarke groans and she gives Lexa consent. Lexa and Clarke’s tongues dance together and the sensation is almost too much for the both of them. Clarke hears Lexa let out a moan which causes her to moan. Lexa then bites Clarke’s bottom lip gently and then reattaches their lips together.

Both of Lexa’s hands now travelled down to Clarke’s lower back. Lexa slides her hands lower and they’re now resting on top of Clarke’s bottom and she couldn’t’ help but squeeze them tightly. Lexa loves seeing Clarke in her blue dress, but she loves how she can feel Clarke’s bare ass underneath the thin fabric of the dress even more. This causes Clarke to gasp and Clarke instinctively grinds her lower half into Lexa. Clarke leans out of the kiss and moves her hands on top of Lexa’s hands that are still on her bottom and looks at Lexa.

Their heads are only inches apart and both are looking into each others eyes deeply. Their chests heaving yet moving in sync together. Before Clarke looses herself in the brunette again, she finally broke the silence, “We should probably go inside before they think something happened to us.”

Lexa steals one last kiss from Clarke that causes Clarke to smile into the kiss. Clarke giggles, but then steals a kiss for herself too. Just when Lexa was about to steal another, Clarke backs away and Lexa chases her. “Lexaaa, we need to go inside!” Clarke says with a touch of laughter. Clarke hears a low growl come out of Lexa as she removes Lexa’s hands from her bottom and takes a couple of steps backwards. Clarke drops one of Lexa’s hands as she continues take small steps backwards leading Lexa off the car. 

“Come on, let’s go inside.” Clarke says with a smile meant only for Lexa. Clarke turns around pulling Lexa with her. Their hands still holding and Lexa looks at the spectacle in front of her. Clarke’s hands holding hers while she guides them to the entrance of the mansion wearing her now favorite dress of Clarke’s. _I could get used to this_ , Lexa thinks as she smiles.

* * *

When Clarke and Lexa enter the mansion, they hear the music and people laughing. They walk over to the kitchen area and everyone is gathered around the large island chatting. Clarke only recognized Anya and her two best friends. She sees Raven standing next to Anya and Octavia standing next to a tan muscular man who must be Lincoln. Lexa looked at Anya and their gaze locked. Lexa saw Anya smile devilishly.

“Ayyye! Look who final decided to show up!” Anya shouted which attracted everyone attention. Anya grabs two beer bottles and walks over to Clarke and Lexa handing it to them. At this point, everyone went back to their individual conversations.

“So you must be Clarke,” Anya said while handing Clarke a bottle.

“Thank you. And you must be Anya,” Clarke says peeking a small smile.

Anya steps back and checks Clarke out top to bottom in front of Lexa. Lexa’s body temperature rises a couple of degrees. “Anya,” Lexa said firmly almost like a command. Anya waves her free hand dismissing Lexa’s comment.

“Calm down, Alexandria. I just need a moment to take in the girl that’s got you acting up the other night,” Anya says slyly as her eyebrows wiggles.

Lexa’s anger drops and is now replaced with embarrassment. Lexa’s cheeks are now flush and she can feel Clarke’s eyes turn to look at her. Clarke smiles sweetly at Lexa and then says, “You can’t blame her. I’m quite the catch.” Clarke winks and raises her cup to cheers with Anya. Anya meets her cup half way and grins, “I like her.” Lexa snaps her head and glares at Anya. Lexa instinctively steps closer to Clarke and discretely places her hand on Clarke lower back. Clarke senses Lexa’s protectiveness and allows herself to be claimed by Lexa. She’s never been desired like this by anyone before and she secretly likes it.

Anya notices how Clarke leaned into her sisters hold and softly smiles. Then she turns towards Lexa and leans in whispering only for Lexa to hear, “You better take good care of her. And don’t let anything stop you.” Lexa shoulders tenses up a little as Anya pulls away. She knows that last statement was about her ex-lover Costia. Anya has already moved away from the two girls and went back to talking to one of her friends. She feels Clarke’s body shift and now she’s facing Lexa.

“Do you mind if I borrow some clothes again? I feel slightly over dressed,” Clarke smiles warily.

“Of course. Follow me.”

Lexa leads them out the back door towards the pool house. Clarke’s following closely behind Lexa wondering what Anya whispered about moments ago. Once Lexa enters her combination to the pool house, they enter. She hears Lexa say, “Alexa, I’m home” and then the lights in the kitchen in living room turn on. Clarke takes a minute and thinks, _whaaaaaat just happened??_

Lexa removes her blazer so she’s now just wearing a white button down. Similar to the last time Clarke was here, Lexa walks over to the kitchen island and invites Clarke to sit. Lexa told her that she’ll grab a change of cloths for her to wear and place them in the bathroom for her to change into. Clarke nods and watches as the brunette makes her way down the hallway.

Clarke knows after tonight, her feelings for Lexa has evolved to the next level. Lexa’s the only person she’s ever been with that treats her with such respect and care. And, no offense to her previous lovers, but Lexa’s also smart. Like _really_ smart and that attribute does nothing but strengthen her feelings. Even thought their lips collided in a heated kiss just moments ago, she still wonders if Lexa feels the same way. All signs so far are positive, but she doesn’t want to get her hopes up to just have them crushed later.

Lexa is looking through her closet to figure out what clothes the give to Clarke and what clothes she’ll change into. The night has gone almost as planned besides the park and what happened in the garage. She smiles when she remembers the events that happened moments ago. The way their lips moved perfectly in sync. The way their body molded together as if they were made for each other. She smiles when pictures Clarke pinning her down against her car. _God she’s amazing and a great kisser_. Her thoughts were then interrupted by Anya’s voice, _And don’t let anything stop you_. Lexa immediately tenses up and a whole new jar of questions filled her mind. _What if she doesn’t like you the way you like her? What if you open yourself up to her to just have your soul crushed again? What if she’s just using you? What if she leaves you and never comes back?_

Lexa freezes and can feel her walls build back up and her mask drape across her face. She quickly changes into jean shorts and a white t-shirt and grabs a pair of running shorts and a random t-shift for Clarke and heads towards the bathroom down the hall. When she returns she sees Clarke sipping on her beer and Lexa grabs her attention, “I’ve placed your change of clothes in the bathroom.” Clarke is confused by Lexa’s change in tone. All night Lexa’s tone has been gentle, caring, and uplifting, but now Lexa tone sounds low and cold. Clarke can tell by Lexa’s body language that she’s being kind of stand off-ish.

Clarke disregards it and nods. She makes her way towards the bathroom to change. She messes with her hair a little making sure it’s not too crazy and she folds her dress across the waist line to prevent any creases. She looks in the mirror at herself and thinks of any reason why Lexa’s demeanor has changed. _Was it something I did? Did I say something?_ She can’t think of anything. She then unlocks the door and heads out before spending too much time in the bathroom.

When she returns, she sees Lexa standing next to the door waiting and ready to go back to the main house. Clarke asks if she could leave her dress here and Lexa just nods. They make their way back to the house and Clarke was slightly disappointed. She wanted to spend some alone time with Lexa in her pool house before making their way back to the kick back. She thought Lexa would want to too, but now here they are in the mansion with other people chatting.

When Clarke walked back in the house, Octavia and Raven immediately find Clarke. Clarke gives them both a hug and that’s when she realized Lexa is no longer beside her. She looks around to see where she’s gone and she finds her in the kitchen grabbing another beer from the fridge. Before Clarke could finalize her thoughts, Octavia grabs Clarke’s arm and leads them away from the group and into the couches in the living room.

Raven begins, “Sooooo, how was the date with Lexa? Come on, spill!”

Clarke’s thoughts return back to hours ago when Lexa was wearing her form-fitting blazer leaning on her car waiting for Clarke. She sighs happily, “It was perfect y’all.” Raven and Octavia giggles and tells her to continue. Clarke proceeds to tell them them everything. From the restaurant reservation to talking about her dad to strawberry ice cream to Discovery Green. Octavia and Raven eyes widen when Clarke mentions the kiss that almost happened in Discovery Green.

Octavia interrupts, “Please tell me you grabbed her by the hand, swung her around, and landed a wet one after she hung up with Anya cause if you don’t I’m going to be upset.” Clarke laughs and says smugly, “Well, that’s not exactly how it happened..” Ravens eyes widen even more and Octavia squealed. Clarke then continues the story describing the thick tension in the car during the drive home and how Lexa almost ran a red. When Clarke finishes the summary version of what happened in the garage, Raven wiggles her shoulders towards Clarke.

“Ohhh wooow, look who took control of the situation,” says Raven seductively. Clarke pushes Raven away and Clarke starts to turn red. 

“Seriously though!” Octavia speaks up. “You’ve never been the one to initiate anything!” Clarke sighs and answers, “I know, but I don’t know what over came me! My heart and head was screaming for her and I knew in that moment she was all I wanted.”

Raven noticed how Clarke didn’t correct herself and looked at Clarke expectantly, “Was? Are you having second thoughts?” With that, Clarke was brought back to the present and looked over at Lexa from across the living room. She was talking to a man that Clarke’s never met before. Clarke begins to explain, “I don’t know. When we came into the mansion everything was fine at first. Lexa even placed her hand on me when Anya was jokingly flirting with me in front of her. But then everything changed when…” Clarke stopped talking immediately. She finally pin points when Lexa’s behavior changed. It was when Anya whispered something in Lexa’s ear. _What did she say? I thought Anya said she likes me? What did she tell her??_ Clarke’s mind was working a thousand miles a minute. She doesn’t understand and the more she thought about it the more she needed to do something about it.

That’s when she heard Anya laughing. She turned her head towards the source of the laughter to find Anya talk to the man Lexa was talking to before. She gets up and vague hears Octavia and Raven call her before she makes her way towards the tall blond. 

“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” Clarke interrupts. Anya looks at Clarke and noticed her hands are balled into little fists. Anya’s face turns serious and nods. Anya excuses herself and starts walking towards the sliding door to the backyard.

Lexa’s been watching Clarke secretly throughout the night and she notices Clarke leave the room with Anya. She chugs the rest of her beer and moves to grab another.

* * *

“What’s going on, Clarke?” Anya asks suspiciously.

Clarke folds her arm across her chest. “I don’t know Anya you tell me. I thought you said you liked me?”

Anya’s taken aback and wearing a shocked look, “Whoa, wait a minute. You’re reading too much into it. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I like you for Lexa.” Anya stepped back and raised her hands surrendering. She adds, “I have the hots for your Latina friend anyways.” 

Clarke mouth drops a centimeter, but then quickly closes her mouth bring her attention back to the original mission. She’ll have the best friend talk later with Anya. “What did you whisper to Lexa then? Cause whatever you told her caused her to change and she’s now cold and stand off-ish.” 

Anya’s eyes widen and then her posture slumps a bit. She takes a sip of her drink before she answers, “I didn’t tell her anything bad, I just told her to take care of you and to not let anything stop her.” Clarke’s posture softens and now she’s even more confused. She turns away from Anya and starts to pace back and forth on the patio. _This doesn’t make sense. Was it me then?_ Clarke tries to remember everything she’s done once she arrived at the mansion. 

Anya’s watching Clarke pace back and forth and thinks, _she must really like Lexa_. She puts her drink down and finally decides to intervene. She grabs Clarke by the shoulders which causes Clarke to snap out of her thoughts and look Anya in the eyes, “I may have only met you today Clarke, but I can tell you genuinely care about my sister.” Clarke visibly swallows. Anya continues, “I haven’t seen Lexa get flustered the way she did the other night in a long time. Her spirits have been up lately and I’m assuming it’s because of you. If you truly like my sister, then you need to get her to open up. It’s not my place to tell you her story, but you need to talk to her.”

And with that, Anya lets go of Clarke, grabs her drink and heads back inside. Clarke takes a minute to soak in everything Anya just told her. Clarke thinks, I really didn’t get to learn much about her tonight. Clarke face palms and realizes that Anya is right. She gathers herself and goes back in the house to find her friends.

* * *

When Clarke returns back inside, she noticed some people have already started to leave. Clarke looks at the time and its already midnight. When everyone settled again, there was only seven people left: Clarke, Octavia, Raven, Lincoln, Anya, Lexa, and the person Clarke saw the sisters talking to before. They all gathered around the living room with their drinks and started chatting away. 

“I’ve met everyone here already besides you. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” Clarke didn’t even see the man come sit next to her because her attention was focused on Lexa in the kitchen grabbing another beer. _How many has she had?_ When she felt Octavia next to her nudge her with her shoulder, Clarke finally responded, “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, I’m Clarke. Clarke Griffin. And who are you?”

He takes a sip of his beer and answers, “I’m Roan Woods. Those three’s cousin.” He glides his finger connecting all three siblings together. Clarke nods in understanding and remembers she met another one of Lexa’s cousins earlier tonight too. “Another cousin? Are you Harper’s brother?”

“I am. How do you know Harper?” Roan’s intrigued.

“I met her when I went to Little Italy earlier tonight. She seems really nice.”

Roan laughs, “She is, but as siblings, she can be very annoying.”

Clarke chuckles, “I wouldn’t understand. I’m a single child.” Clarke pauses before she continues, “If you’re here, then why isn’t she?” 

Roan replies, “She’s working late at Little Italy tonight. They take forever to close the restaurant, so she couldn’t make it.”

Just like that, Clarke was having a light-hearted conversation with Roan. Clarke noticed Octavia is sitting next to Lincoln talking and laughing. They were trying to be discrete with their innocent touching, but they were to tipsy to notice they weren’t being discrete at all. Raven’s drink was on the table and she was no where to be seen. Clarke looks for Anya to see if they’ve sneaked off again, but instead she finds Anya in the kitchen talking to Lexa. They were clearly talking about something that was making Lexa upset because she suddenly grabbed her beer and walked outside towards the backyard. Anya sighs and looks at Clarke. Anya had a hopeless look on her face and that worried Clarke.

Lexa hasn’t returned in the past thirty minutes, so Clarke decides to check what’s going on. She politely excuses herself from the group and makes her way outside. Clarke walks out the door and onto the patio. No Lexa. She moves her gaze to the long chairs next to the pool and that’s when she sees her. Lexa’s back is facing her and sees her take another swig of her beer. Clarke makes her way towards her and when she’s close enough she clears her throat. Lexa looks up and sees Clarke. Lexa frowns and turns her head away from Clarke. Clarke’s heart drops. This is not the Lexa she just had one of the best first not-a-date date in her life.

Clarke points to the right of Lexa and finally says, “May I?” 

Without looking Lexa knows what Clarke is asking. She takes a moment to respond, but she finally nods and Clarke sits next to her. They sit there in silence for a long time thinking about what to say to each other, but no one says anything. Clarke wants to fix this, she wants them to work, but she doesn’t know what to say. Her heart pains to see how different Lexa has become and she doesn’t want to make things worse. She wants to give Lexa the chance to start rather than her start bombarding her with her insecurities.

Lexa knows it’s not fair to Clarke for her to be acting this way, but she can’t help it. Her walls have been down the entire night with Clarke and she enjoyed every second of it. But when Anya reminded her of Costia, she knew she had to protect herself from being hurt like that ever again. She knew Anya wanted the opposite reaction from Lexa, but her instincts were to hide. Her defense mechanism built her walls back up so fast, she didn’t give Clarke the chance to catch up.

After a long unbearable silence, Lexa finally looked at Clarke and found her blue eyes staring back at her. She can tell from those blue eyes that she’s hurt, but she can also tell that they’re forgiving and caring. Lexa doesn’t think she deserves someone like Clarke. Someone who’s so caring and understanding. Clarke deserves to have someone who doesn’t have baggage and who isn’t haunted by their past. Lexa couldn’t take it anymore and she gets up and starts to walk away.

Clarke can’t take it anymore and decides that words aren’t enough to express how she feels about Lexa in this moment. She’s trying so hard to be patient with her and show her that she is here for her. She’s trying everything she can to subtly let the brunette know that she wants to get to know her. So when Lexa looks at Clarke and then gets up and walks away. Clarke’s had enough.

She gets up after Lexa and right when Lexa was about to turn around to tell her something, Clarke pushes her into the pool. The loud splash disrupted the perfectly tranquil pool. Lexa surfaces and wipes the water and hair from her face.

“What the fuck was that for?!” Lexa spits as she’s standing in the water. As Lexa regains her bearings, she noticed Clarke has removed her shoes and is sitting at the edge of the pool. She watches as the girl slowly gets in the water.

“That was for being an ass all night and then walking away.” Clarke said as she’s stalking towards the brunette. Lexa rolls her eyes. Clarke’s now slowly stalking towards Lexa and when she’s becomes arms length away, Clarke brings both of her hands up to holds Lexa’s face and kisses her. She puts all her feelings into the kiss. She wants Lexa to know she’s here and she’s not going anywhere. That she can tell her anything and not even the strongest quake in the world will be able to divide her unrelenting feelings for her. She wants Lexa to know that she’s uncontrollably crazy for her.

Lexa can’t help but sigh into the kiss. She feels the ground shake beneath the power and strength of the kiss. Clarke is kissing her with so much passion she didn’t know was possible to be conveyed through a kiss. Lexa arms settles on Clarke’s waist and her hands starts to trail up her back. Lexa feels a tear trail down Clarke’s face and Lexa breaks the kiss. She removes a hand from Clarke’s back and tries to wipe her tear away, but only makes it worse because her hands are wet. Lexa looks at the beautiful blond girl in front of her and a piece of her walls crumbles.

Lexa repeats, but this time quieter and tenderly, “What was that for?”

Clarke leans forward and rests her forehead between Lexa’s neck and shoulder. Clarke feels another tear fall down her face and she sniffles. All the emotions she’s been harboring releases. Lexa tries to move Clarke so she can see her face, but Clarke resists.

“Please Lexa… Talk to me. Don’t leave me out … Please…” Clarke pleads. She continues, “I want the chance to get to know you. Please, give me a chance, Lexa… I’m here for you and I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

Lexa feels all of her defenses shatter. The walls she’s built all night came crumbling down faster than ever before. She can feel Clarke starting to sob beneath her and she hugs the girl close to her and wraps one arm around her waist and the other on her head as she cradles the blond in her shoulder. She feels Clarke’s grasp on her neck tighten as she tries to draw closer to her. She can feel Clarke’s warm breath hit her neck as she sobs in her arms.

“I’m so sorry, Clarke. I should have never pushed you away.” Lexa whispers in Clarke’s ear as her cheek is pressed against Clarke’s head. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I’m so sorry..” Lexa feels Clarke lift her head from her shoulder and looks at her with those teary eyes. Lexa heart aches for being the reason behind those sad eyes. Clarke leans back in and connects their lips together again. Lexa understands and kisses her back with equal passion. When they parted, Lexa looks at Clarke and asks.

“Stay with me tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that a good enough redemption for the interrupted kiss last chapter? Lemme know your thoughts!
> 
> Till next time!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello fellow readers! Thanks everyone for the great responses from last chapter! I hope this story continues to be engaging!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter!
> 
> I own nothing. I apologize for any spelling, grammatical, or syntax errors!

Clarke is now sitting with her legs against her chest and a cup of coffee in her hands while sitting in another one of Lexa’s Polis University hoodies and grey sweatpants. She had just gotten out of the shower and now Lexa’s showering. She had texted Octavia and Raven that’s she’s staying the night with Lexa to talk. They understood and said that they might be staying over too and Clarke couldn’t help but laugh. _What are the odds for each one of us to land with a Woods?_

Clarke started to replay the events that happened just moments ago. She can’t believe it’s still the same day with everything that’s happened—“date”, Discovery Green, the kick back, pool, and now here she is. She has had an emotional roller coaster of a day. She still can’t believe she actually pushed Lexa in the pool. She giggles to herself when she thinks about it. Clarke has never been the type of person to initiate anything before. Not only did she initiate the kiss early in the evening she also pushed Lexa in the pool.

She giggles again when she thinks of pushing Lexa in the pool. She took another sip of her coffee. It’s already way past 1:00, but she knew she wanted to listen to what Lexa had to say. She heard the shower turn off and then next thing you know, Lexa’s now drinking her a cup of coffee and sitting with her legs crossed facing Clarke on the opposite side of the couch.

Clarke decided to break the ice, “Sorry for, umm, pushing you in the pool.”

Lexa chuckled a little and then shrugged and said, “I kind of deserved it.”

Clarke smiled and took another sip of her coffee. She didn’t want to waste anymore time though. “So, about tonight…” Clarke said quietly as she cleared her throat and then continued, “I had a great time. I really did.” Lexa looks up and meets Clarke’s face. And she can see Clarke smile behind her cup of coffee, Lexa can tell she’s being truthful. Lexa smiles, “I did too, Clarke,” she said truthfully. Lexa then looks back at her cup of coffee in her hands. 

Clarke put her cup of coffee down on the coffee table in front of her and scoots closer sitting with her legs crossed closer to Lexa so that she’s can feel the warmth radiating from her legs. “Lexa, look at me,” Clarke pleads. Lexa hesitates, but then looks up to look Clarke in the face. Clarke had a calm demeanor and she wore a small smile. “I like you, Lexa.” Clarke places a hand on Lexa’s knee. “I really do and you have to believe me when I said I don’t want to be anywhere else but here,” Clarke says. Lexa swallows at Clarke’s confession.

“Clarke, you have no idea.” Lexa exhaled. She started shaking her head. “You make me feel something I’ve never felt before and it terrifies me.” Lexa continues, “I like you too, Clarke, but I’m scared.”

Clarke’s heart flutters. _She said she likes me too_ , thinks Clarke. Clarke then squeezes Lexa’s knee and smiles, “At least we know the feeling is mutual.” Clarke tries to ease the tension between them. Lexa smiles gently and they’re back in silence again. Clarke starts to rub little circles on Lexa’s knees as she thinks about what else to say. 

After a while, the circular motions Clarke was making was making her drowsy. Lexa notices and then stops Clarke by putting her hand on top of hers.

Lexa then stands and speaks just above a whisper, “Clarke, follow me.” Clarke looks up at Lexa with sleepy eyes. Clarke knows Lexa is about to lead her to her bedroom and she points at Lexa and states, “No funny business tonight, Lexa.”

Lexa says tenderly and reaches out her hand, “No, Clarke. Just sleep. Come.” Clarke took Lexa’s hand and was about to get up, but she thinks of something and sits back down. She looks up with those sleepy eyes and then tries to sound stern, “You have to tell me everything tomorrow, Lexa. I mean it. I don’t mean to sound pushy, but we have to get through this because…” Clarke hesitates before she continues. She looks Lexa deep in her eyes, inhales, and finishes, “Even though we just met and we’ve only went on one “date”, I know this is something I want. I’ve never felt this way before and every cell in my body is telling me that this is right. An-and I’m willing to try as long as you are willing too. So please… At least tell me if you’re willing to try cause if not… I don’t think I should stay.”

Lexa took a moment and soaked in what Clarke just told her. She glanced down at her and Clarke’s hands together and looks back at Clarke. She then sits back down and holds Clarke’s hand with both of hers. Lexa can tell by the look on Clarke’s face that she needs the reassurance. By the way she closed herself off to Clarke for no reason, of course she needs the reassurance. To be honest, Lexa was surprised Clarke even stayed.

After Clarke broke her walls down in the pool, she knew Clarke was different. The way she feels for Clarke is different—it always has been. The fact that Clarke is still with her despite her actions tonight, her decision is easy. 

“I more than willing to try Clarke. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, I promise. Please, stay,” Lexa tenderly pleads. Clarke sleepily smiles at Lexa and is now the first one to get up and drag Lexa’s off the couch. Clarke drags Lexa’s hand behind her towards what she assumes is the bedroom. She’s never been in Lexa’s bedroom before, but from the dim lighting in the room, she can tell its clean and organized. She let’s go of Lexa’s hand when she see’s Lexa’s big bed. 

“Oh my goodness, you have a California king?!” Clarke said excitedly as she plops down on the bed. Lexa smiles and laughs, “Clarke, you have to get ready for bed.” She walks over to the bathroom and disappears for a minute. Clarke was about to completely fall asleep, but then she was woken up again by a gentle hand on her back.

“Clarke, come on. I have a tooth brush ready for you. Just two minutes and you can go to bed.”

“Mmmm… 5 more minutes…” Clarke grumbles.

Lexa chuckles, “Nope, come on.” Lexa turns Clarke’s body so her back is laying on the bed and then grabs her hands and pulled her up. Clarke sits up right with her hands in Lexa’s and she looks up and pouts at Lexa. Lexa’s heart leaps as she looks at Clarke’s bottom lip pop out as she’s begs her not to do this, but Lexa perseveres.

“Mmm, you’re making this very difficult… But come on, Clarke, I’ll be there with you.”

Clarke pouts more and sighs. She gets up and makes her way to Lexa’s bathroom. Like Lexa said, she stayed with her till she finished rinsing her mouth. Clarke then turns around and heads straight towards the bed. She crawls on the bed and snuggles into the bed and lets out a content sigh. Lexa turns off the bathroom light and walks over to the side Clarke is laying. Lexa isn’t planning on the same bed with Clarke. She didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, so she decides to sleep on the couch in the living room. Before she leaves, she makes sure that Clarke is tucked in and right. As Lexa turns around, she feels a grasp around her wrist. She turns her head and sees Clarke’s hand around her wrist.

“No… Lexa, stay.” Lexa smiles gently whispers, “Are you sure?”

“Mmmm, stay,” grumbled Clarke. Lexa walks to the other side of the bed and tucks herself in. She lays on her back next to Clarke with her hands behind her head. As she lays there she suddenly feels the mattress next to her dip and she smells the sweet aroma of Clarke’s hair. Lexa then feels Clarke wrap her arm around her stomach and Clarke’s head nuzzles underneath her head. She hears Clarke let out a content sigh and grips Lexa’s torso tighter. Lexa removes her hand from the back of her head, places it on Clarke’s shoulder, and holds Clarke tightly. They slept through the night wrapped up in each other.

* * *

When Clarke wakes up in the morning, she finds herself sprawled out on a bed that is not her own. She rolls over, rubs her eyes, and sits up right. The comforter has rolled down Clarke’s chest and is now laying in her lap. She looks around and remembers staying the night in Lexa’s pool house and specifically, in Lexa’s bed. But, Lexa’s no where to be seen.

“Le-ahem, Lexa?” Clarke fumbles out of her mouth. She starts moving her hands around the mattress of the bed trying to find her phone. She locates her phone under the pillow and sees that it’s only 8:15 in the morning. She sighs and flops back down on the bed and tries to fall back asleep, but sleep is long gone. She grumbles and throws her feet off the bed and comes in contact with the wood floor. She walks around the bed to the bathroom and finds a sticky note on the mirror.

_If you’re reading this, then I’m still on my morning run. I’ll be back at around 09:00. Make yourself at home. –Lexa_

It’s a Sunday morning and Clarke’s surprised Lexa is up this early to go running. _I wonder when she wakes up everyday?_ Clarke washes her face, brushes her teeth, and then makes her way back to the bed. She begins to fix the bed and smooth out the comforter. Once she was finished making the bed, she heads towards the kitchen. She opens the fridge and finds enough ingredients to make a veggie omelet. She finds a pan, starts warming it on the stove, and she starts cutting the veggies. She has an assortment of red and green bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, and spinach. She begins to crack the eggs, whisk them, and puts everything together in the heated pan. The end result was phenomenal. She looks over at the clock on the stove and sees that its still 8:50 AM. Lexa should be returning anytime soon, so she starts cracking more eggs to prepare another omelet.

When Clarke starts to add the veggies to the omelet, she hears the front door and someone breathing heavy come in the room. Without even looking, Clarke speaks up.

“Morning! Breakfast will be ready in about 10 minutes.” Clarke turns around to look at Lexa and she becomes strangely aroused. She see’s Lexa in black running shorts and a skin tight tank top glistening in sweat. Her skin is slightly darker due to running underneath the sun and her cheeks are red. She sees Lexa’s chest rise and fall trying to catch her breath after her workout. Clarke had to remember to breathe and she took a small inhale in.

Lexa can smell the food Clarke is cooking and it smells amazing. It’s been a while since she was able to utilize her kitchen. She really only has time on the weekends to cook, but to be honest, she’s not great at it. She’s only able to make scrambled eggs and the occasional omelet, but her omelets usually just turns into a deconstructed omelet or scrambled eggs. 

“Good morning, Clarke,” Lexa says in between breaths. She smiles sweetly at the image of Clarke in her kitchen cooking. She walks over to the fridge in the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water. She notices Clarke is still watching her when she should be watching the pan. “Watch the pan, Clarke. You don’t want to burn the omelet,” Lexa smirks. Clarke realized she was right and becomes flustered as she grabs the spatula and turns the omelet over. She’s relieved when nothing was burnt too badly. She glances back at Lexa embarrassingly, “Thanks.” Lexa nods and starts walking out towards the hallway. “I’ll be out in about 15 minutes,” Lexa says over her shoulder. 

Lexa’s finished her shower and has her hair wrapped in a towel. She grabs another towel to dry off and begins putting her cloths on. She finally walks over to her mirror, takes the towel out of her hair, and looks at herself in the mirror. She takes a deep breath to steady herself about what her goal is today: _I have to get everything out. Clarke deserves to know_. She dries her hair one more time before she makes her way to the kitchen.

Clarke is sitting on the bar stool leaning in on the kitchen island. She’s on her phone and doesn’t notice Lexa coming out of the bedroom. Lexa notices how there’s only one steamy omelet on the table.

“Are you not eating this morning?” Lexa asks.

Clarke flinched a little, “Oh my god, you scared me.” Clarke’s hand is on her chest and she takes a second to gather herself again. “No, I already ate. I prepped too much veggies and I had enough to make you an omelet too,” Clarke replies and then continues, “I hope you like omelets.”

“I do, but I can never make them likes this,” Lexa sits down next to Clarke and picks up the fork. “Mine always come out scrambled,” Lexa says as she takes a bite. Lexa suddenly hears Clarke giggle and looks over to see what she’s giggling about. Then Clarke finally explains, “The Commander is defeated by an omelet. That’s good.”

Lexa frowns and retorts, “The flavors are still all there! It just maybe doesn’t look as good as yours…” Clarke giggle now turns into laughter. Lexa rolls her eyes as she takes another bite of the omelet. She has to admit; Clarke’s omelet is pretty good. The veggies are all diced and they’re all evening spread throughout. But because of her pride, she’s not going to tell Clarke that.

Lexa finishes her omelet and puts her dishes away. Clarke is already sitting on the couch with a blanket in her lap when Lexa walks over. Clarke pats the spot next to her and Lexa grins and sits down next to her. Clarke then drapes the blanket over Lexa’s lap. This entire morning has been perfect so far. If she could wake up to Clarke snuggled next to her every morning, she will always have a good day. Also, having an omelet cooked by Clarke; she couldn’t ask for anything more.

She looks over at the girl who has somehow uprooted her emotions and she knows she’s ready. Her heart no longer aches from the past because with Clarke, she knows her future is bright.

“Her name was Costia,” Lexa cleared her throat after she finished her sentence. She hasn’t said her name out loud in so long, it felt foreign on her tongue. Clarke slides her hand over to Lexa’s and holds it. Lexa sighed, “We met when I was a sophomore in high school about 5 years ago. She was my first…everything really.” Lexa continued, “She taught me how to love, she taught me how to show my emotions, how to kiss, how to…everything. She taught me how to live life.” Clarke looks at Lexa solemnly. “She was in love with me and I loved her back ten times more. She was my everything. I was the happiest I thought I could be.”

Lexa continues, “Then... right before our senior graduation, she told me her family was moving. They’ve always moved countries because of her dad’s work. I tried to reason with her. I tried to show her that she can live with me and we could make a life here together at Polis U.” Lexa gathers herself, “But she just kept shooting each option down one by one. Then she finally said we were never supposed to lasted as long as we did. And sh-she just left. She didn’t attend graduation. She just left without saying goodbye.”

Lexa remained quiet a moment. Clarke assumed she just needed sometime to gather herself. She understands how torn Lexa could have been after an abrupt ending to the one love she thought she would have forever. Lexa started to shift a lot in her spot and she looked almost uncomfortable.

“Hey, hey… Lexa calm down. Look at me,” Clarke grips Lexa’s hand tighter attracting Lexa’s attention. “I’m not going anywhere,” Clarke said tenderly. She noticed that Lexa settled a little, but was still uneasy. Clarke then decided to remove the blanket on top of them, scoots a little further down on the couch so that her back is in a comfortable position on the arm rest, and opens her arms. Lexa knows what Clarke wants her to do, but she’s hesitant. Clarke notices and finally says, “Please.” Clarke’s expression was pleading. She wanted nothing more than to comfort Lexa and hold her so Lexa knows she’s here for her, indefinitely.

Lexa finally moves towards Clarke which causes Clarke to open her legs to allow Lexa to place her head on her chest. Clarke arches her back a little allowing one of Lexa’s arms to wrap around her lower back while Lexa’s other arms is placed on her stomach. The position is very intimate, to say the least. Lexa held Clarke in a very similar position last night, but they were unconscious. Clarke then maneuvers the blanket over Lexa and the warmth immediately returns. Lexa feels like she’s being cocooned and she physically relaxes in Clarke’s hold.

Clarke quietly takes a deep inhale of Lexa’s scent and tightens her hold on Lexa. The warmth of Lexa’s body on top of hers is intoxicating. She also feels less nervous about talking about her past with Lexa now too, which is what causes her to say what’s next.

Clarke whispers into Lexa’s hair, “Mine was Niylah.” Lexa tries to move to look at Clarke, but Clarke just held Lexa down. Lexa didn’t expect Clarke to share anything and Lexa was naïve to think Clarke didn’t have her own baggage too. “The way you describe Costia reminds me a lot about how I felt about Niylah,” Clarke whispers. Lexa lays her head on Clarke’s chest as she listens to both Clarke’s words and her heart.

“I’ve dated plenty of boys and girls before… I’m bisexual. But Niylah was the first person I’ve ever truly loved,” Clarke concluded. Clarke thinks about what to say and she sighs, “Our relationship was at first centered around sex. She was the captain of the women’s soccer team and I was cheer captain of the cheerleading team.” 

Lexa chuckles a little and Clarke notices and slaps Lexa’s shoulder. Lexa apologizes, “Ow! I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Go on.” 

Clarke continues, “So yeah, cheer captain. But as time goes on, we found ourselves lying to each other about how we truly felt. We both confessed that it wasn’t just for sex, so we went on a date and became exclusive from then. We dated for three years and things were as great as you could imagine. And when my cheer team won the state competition during my senior year…” Clarke gathers her courage, inhales, and continues, “She proposed.”

Lexa immediately shoots up and looks at Clarke in the eyes, “You’re engaged?” Clarke smiles sweetly despite Lexa’s sudden reaction and cups Lexa’s face, “I was.” Lexa was gently pulled back to Clarke’s chest by her hand and she listens to Clarke’s heart thumping in her chest. “Of course, at the time, I said yes; I was in love and we had just won the state competition. But my mom was completely against it. She kept telling me that we’re too young, it’s not going to end well, we still have college to think about, and so on,” Clarke said lackadaisically. Clarke takes a sharp inhale and exhales deeply, “And… Well… You can connect the dots from there.” Clarke didn’t want to relive the moment she took her engagement ring off and returned it to Niylah. 

Lexa lays there in Clarke’s arms as Clarke relives her memories with her _fiancé_. She thinks about the severity of what Clarke has just shared. She doesn’t know where to go from here with Clarke. _Is she ready to even dive into a relationship? Does she still love her ex-fiancé? Is she even good enough for Clarke?_ Lexa was running all different scenarios in her head that she didn’t know she’s been in her thoughts for the past 10 minutes.

“You can ask me, you know?” Clarke finally chimes in. “All those thoughts going through your head.”

Lexa adjusts her position on Clarke and moves higher on Clarke’s chest where her forehead is underneath Clarke’s chin and says, “How do you know I have questions in my head? I could have just been sleeping…” Clarke chuckles and Lexa’s head moves with Clarke’s chest, “You’re thinking so hard, I can hear them,” Clarke whispers as her chin rests on Lexa’s head.

Lexa pushes herself up and away from Clarke until she’s face to face with the blond. “Do you still love her?” Lexa had to ask. Clarke looks into Lexa’s eyes and replies, “I think I always will. A part of me always will. She was the first person I truly loved. You can’t just throw those feelings away. That would be a dishonor to myself and Niylah,” Lexa looks down and thinks about Costia and how it’s been so difficult to forget about her and the feelings she had for her. Lexa feels Clarke’s hand on her cheek as she guides her gaze back to hers. Clarke spoke as softly as she could, “But that doesn’t mean we cannot find love again.” Lexa’s heart is pounding. It’s pounding harder than running a 4x400m dash. Clarke always manages to understand how Lexa feels. 

Clarke adds, “The way I feel when I’m with you, Lexa… It’s like… I’ve been drowning this whole time and then I meet you and it feels like I’m coming up for a breath of fresh air.” Clarke is having an emotional overload, so she can’t help it when she feels tears building up. When Lexa sees the tears build in Clarke’s eyes as she looks at her, she couldn’t help but lean in and caress her face. She connects their foreheads and she adjusts herself so she’s straddling Clarke’s hips with both hands on Clarke’s face. This causes Clarke to sit up slightly. 

Lexa whispers, “Clarke.” She gulps as she feels Clarke wrap her arms around Lexa’s lower back pulling her in closer. “You take my breath away. I don’t care we’ve only been on one “date.” Lexa inhales and continues, “I want to be with you, Clarke. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. And if you’re not ready, then I will wait. I’ll wait for you Clarke because I don’t want to let you go.”

Clarke lets out a content sigh and says shakily, “Oh Lexa…” The tear building in Clarke’s eyes finally released. Clarke removed her hands from Lexa’s waist and cups Lexa’s face. She whispers, “I’ve been ready since I first met you.”

With that being said, Lexa finally closes the distance between them and concentrates everything she feels into the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear things up a bit and so everyone’s on the same page.  
> Lexa is a year older than Clarke. Clarke is a freshman, so she basically just ended her engagement with Niylah a couple of months ago before meeting Lexa.  
> Lexa and Costia split after high school, so Lexa has been single for an entire year before meeting Clarke. Following me here?
> 
> I don’t know if that was made clear or not. Not really a key factor to the story, but at least everyone’s on the same page--these girls are head over heels for each other!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTICE THE RATING AND TAGS HAVE CHANGED!!!
> 
> Happy Friday y'all ;) This is just all smut and fluff at the end. Nothing more. Fair warning.... This is my first time writing smut...
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy! ;D
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes on my part. I own nothing.

“Lexa…” Clarke manages to say through heated kisses and tugging of clothing. 

Lexa is still straddling Clarke and they’re back in their bubble again. After their conversation and confessions, Lexa is completely enamored by Clarke. She wants to feel their bodies mold perfectly together. Lexa has moved her kisses down Clarke’s jawline and down her neck. 

Clarke tilts her head back allowing Lexa to ravage her neck. Clarke moves her hands down to grip Lexa’s shirt and tugs. She then slowly slides her hands underneath Lexa’s shirt and feels her toned abs. She instantly becomes more aroused and couldn’t help to say the brunette’s name again, “Lexa…” Lexa stops kissing Clarke’s neck, sits back up, and looks down in Clarke’s beautiful black and blue eyes.

Lexa cups Clarke’s face and says in between breaths, “If you’re not ready Clarke, then tell me. I can wait. For you, I will. Tell me what you want me to do.” Lexa looks deep in those eyes and just admires Clarke’s beauty in this moment. Those perfect lips that are now her new addiction. The way her golden hair sits on her shoulders. Everything. _She’s so perfect_. 

Clarke takes in what Lexa says and she feels safe. She quickly runs her thoughts through everything they’ve shared this morning and she feels weak. Despite everything they’ve both shared about, Lexa still wants Clarke and Clarke most definitely wants Lexa. Both girls feel like the gap between them has finally bridged. Clarke has met her threshold of emotions and isn’t able to resist anymore. She knows she won’t regret her decision.

Clarke reverses their position. She pushes Lexa off of her which causes Lexa to fall back. Clarke immediately follows and straddles Lexa. Everything happens so fast, Lexa is thrown for a loop when Clarke cups Lexa’s cheeks and kisses her hard. Lexa hears Clarke let out a moan and feels her grind down on Lexa. This causes Lexa to exhale a groan and move her hands to Clarke’s ass. “I want this, Lexa. I don’t want to wait,” Clarke demands as her hands move down to the base of Lexa’s neck. She feels her heart beating faster and faster and her body heat getting hotter. Clarke plants a kiss on Lexa’s lips and bites her lower lip eliciting a moan from the girl below her. 

Clarke’s body is on fire for Lexa—only Lexa. Even though Clarke has been with many people before and even fell in love before, the feelings and sensations she feels with Lexa is almost as if she’s a born again virgin. She reaches down and grabs Lexa’s hands from her bottom. She stares intently at Lexa’s now black eyes as she guides her hands up her sides, grazed past her breasts, and places them on her neck. She lets out a groaned exhale and tilts her head back.

Lexa is in awe of Clarke. She has never seen anything or anyone as beautiful as Clarke in this exact moment. She finally concluded that everything about the girl on top of her makes her the most magnificent woman in the world. The desire, the passion, the heat—Lexa has never wanted someone as badly. She can already feel her desire boiling in her lower abdomen.

Clarke tilts her head back down and locks in with Lexa’s eyes again. Almost all of the green has left her eyes. Clarke watches Lexa’s reaction as she retraces Lexa’s hands back down, lingering for a moment near her breasts, and then back down to her hips. She holds Lexa’s hands in place and then grinds into Lexa’s hip while biting her lip. Lexa’s mouth drops ever so slightly, lets out a moan, and bites her bottom lip. Clarke attaches her forehead to Lexa’s, both of their hands still on Clarke’s waist, and the leans in to gently ghost Lexa’s lips. 

Clarke is unbelievably turned on so she whispers into Lexa’s mouth, “Take me to your bed, Lexa.”

And with that Lexa leans in and kisses Clarke so hard, Clarke had to lean back because of the force. Lexa kisses Clarke with her lips slightly curled up which causes Clarke’s to curl too. Lexa grips Clarke’s ass tightly and slightly lift’s Clarke up higher on her torso. Lexa is then able to swing her legs off the couch and make contact with the floor. Clarke’s is still straddled in Lexa’s lap and her forehead is still attached to Lexa’s as she moves her arms to wrap around Lexa’s neck.

“You better hold on tight,” smirked Lexa. Clarke’s eyes widen, _is she…??_

Lexa then lifts the both of them off the couch which causes Clarke to squeal with excitement and wrap her legs around Lexa’s waist. Lexa has both arms linked underneath Clarke’s ass and she’s wearing the biggest smile. Clarke’s face is buried in Lexa’s neck as she laughs and squeals. She begins to kiss and suck on Lexa’s neck as they make their way to the bedroom. Clarke was already aroused before, but once Lexa places her down gently on her bed and kisses Clarke, she’s can feel another wave of pleasure soar through her body.

Once Lexa placed Clarke on the bed, even though she’s wearing a tank top, her skin and body is on fire. She gives Clarke one last kiss, leans back, and stands. She looks at Clarke directly in the eyes, reaches for the bottom of her tank top, and take it off in one motion. Now Lexa is standing in front of Clarke with nothing but a pair of running shorts and her black sports bra. Lexa notices Clarke unconsciously lick her lips and drops her mouth. Clarke sits up and positions herself in the middle of the bed with her legs bent and turned to the side. She bites her bottom lip looking at Lexa up and down and points her finger at Lexa and curls it telling Lexa to ‘come here’. Lexa growls and curls her lips. She gets on the bed and starts to crawl towards Clarke and attaches her lips to hers.

Clarke immediately grants Lexa entrance and they’re tongues do the dirty dance. Clarke brings her hand up and places it on Lexa’s side. Once her skin touches Lexa’s side, she immediately feels the heat. Clarke is being gently pushed back by Lexa as she crawls on top of her and she’s now lying flat on the bed. They’re lips are still intertwined and their hands are exploring.

Lexa lower half is straddled against one of Clarke’s thighs and she’s supporting her upper half by her elbow. Lexa’s free hand starts to trail down Clarke’s chest and she palms Clarke’s breast. Clarke’s bust is larger than Lexa’s, but that’s just how Lexa likes them. She starts massaging the breast which causes Clarke’s body to arch and moan into Lexa’s mouth. Lexa quickly takes this opportunity to reach down underneath Clarke’s shirt, moves her hand to Clarke’s bra, and unhooks it. When Clarke feels her bra strap loosen, Clarke pushes Lexa back slightly, looks at Lexa and gives nods. Lexa brings herself to sit up and Clarke follows. Clarke’s hands move to the bottom of her shirt and when she was about to lift, Lexa stops her.

“Let me,” Lexa says as she moves her hands to the bottom of the shirt. Clarke blushes and removes her hand allowing Lexa to remove her shirt. Once the article of clothing was thrown to the abyss, Lexa is stunned by Clarke’s beauty. Both of Clarke’s bra straps are already hanging off her shoulder. One of Clarke’s pink nipples is peaking out and Lexa unconsciously licks her lips. The only thing keeping her bra on her chest is Clarke’s arm.

Clarke notices how Lexa is basically drooling over her chest. She decides to tease Lexa and have one arm hold the bra up barely while her other hand runs through her hair. She bites her lower lips and elicits a moan. She runs the hand in her hair down her neck, past her breasts, her stomach, and then rests on her inner thighs. Lexa’s eyes followed that hand all the way down and she immediately knows she’s in trouble.

Lexa already knows her underwear is soaked. Clarke is a goddess and she doesn’t know what she’s done to deserve being in the presence of her. When she sees Clarke’s hand travel to her thighs, she’s had enough of watching. She needs her. Lexa reaches for her arm, removing it, causing her bra to fall. Lexa tosses the bra away and her eyes glance at her the beautiful, perfect breasts in front of her and then back up to Clarke’s black eyes.

“Clarke…” was all Lexa managed to say before she choked on the lump in her throat. Clarke looks at Lexa seductively and says, “Lexa… I need your hands on me. You do not need to ask for permission or consent because I am yours, Lexa.” Clarke watches as Lexa moves forward and pushes Clarke back down on the bed. Clarke loves the aggressiveness and feels herself become wetter for Lexa. She arches her back as she feels Lexa slowly kiss her way up her stomach and her hands glide up towards her breast. Lexa’s hands immediate palms each breast which causes Clarke chest to rise and fall rapidly as she lets out a groan. Lexa see’s Clarke’s thighs rub against each other begging for friction.

Lexa moves up on Clarke’s body looking straight into Clarke’s eyes as she engulfs one of Clarke’s perfectly pink nipples in her mouth. Her tongue is teasing the nipple and Clarke’s hands immediately goes to the back of Lexa’s neck wanting more. Lexa’s hand is teasing the other nipple only momentarily before she switches and ravishes her breasts.

“Ohhhh… Lexaaa…” Clarke moans as she leaves scratches on Lexa’s back. Clarke’s chest is rising and her breaths are becoming irregular. Lexa sits up and straddles Clarke’s hips. She looks down at Clarke as she moves her hands from Clarke’s stomach up, circles her breasts, palms the breasts, and then move up to her collar bone and neck. Clarke’s entire body is tingling after Lexa touches her. Lexa wants to cherish this moment with Clarke. 

“Lexa, please,” pleads Clarke. Lexa moves off of Clarke and starts to pull Clarke’s shorts off leaving Clarke laying in front of her with her underwear on. Lexa notices a large wet spot on her underwear and smirks. Clarke knows what she’s smirking at and despite her bold talk, she becomes shy and clamps her thighs back together. Lexa smiles and lays next to Clarke propping her heading up with her elbow and hands. She uses her free hand to draw circles all over Clarke’s stomach and she leans and whispers in Clarke’s ear, “You’re so beautiful Clarke. You’re so ungodly beautiful. I love how you’re so wet for me and I can’t wait to taste you.”

Clarke visibly shivers and moans. She bites her bottom lip and they connect again one more time when Lexa leans in. Lexa is still laying on her side next to Clarke with her right elbow holding her head up. The hand that was drawing circles on Clarke’s stomach is now trailing down towards Clarke’s underwear. Clarke’s thighs are still close, but once Lexa’s hand reaches the fabric of her underwear, her thighs loosen unable to resist Lexa’s touch.

Lexa uses her middle finger and glides over Clarke’s underwear towards her wet spot. _She’s soooo wet…_ Lexa holds her breath as she hears Clarke moan and start to buck her hips towards her hand—begging for more contact. Lexa starts to gently rub circles over her clit and Clarke can’t control the groan out of her mouth. Lexa slowly intensifies the pressure and she feels Clarke get wetter. She finally removes her hand from her clit and moves it underneath the fabric. Clarke’s eyes close and Lexa stops.

“Look at me, Clarke,” Lexa whispers. Clarke opens her eyes and turns her head to face Lexa. Clarke’s biting her bottom lip her entire facial expression is begging for pleasure. Lexa moves her hand south immediately breaks Clarke’s fold and goes straight for her clit. Clarke’s breath hitches, her mouth drops, grabs the sheets above her head, while still remaining eye contact with Lexa. Lexa leans down to kiss Clarke passionately and she increases her speed. Clarke is moaning into their kiss and Lexa relishes in the moment. Clarke is already so wet and when Lexa moves her fingers down to her entrance she’s met with even more wetness. Lexa lets out a moan in Clarke’s mouth which causes Clarke to buck her hips towards Lexa’s hand.

“Lexa, fuck me, please. I want you inside me…” Clarke arches her back just at the idea of Lexa fucking her and she moans loudly while saying, “Oh god, Lexa please.” With that Lexa gets up and immediately moves down to Clarke’s apex. She removes her underwear in one swift motion causing Clarke’s breath to hitch. 

The sight before Lexa is breath taking. Clarke is unbelievably wet. She’s practically dripping. She looks up at Clarke watching her. She leans in and licks her pussy from her entrance all the way up to her clit without breaking eye contact with the blond. She moans into Clarke, “Clarke, you taste so good… mmm…” Clarke’s eyes roll to the back of her head and she lays flat on her back. Lexa moans at the taste of Clarke and starts to draw circles using the flat part of her tongue on Clarke’s clit.

“Lexaaaa, yeees. Just like that… Ohh… Myyy…” cries Clarke. Clarke is so aroused she starts to move her hands all over her stomach, chest, and neck. She moves one hand to her nipple while the other moves on top of Lexa’s head telling her to not stop. Clarke needs more, she needs to feel Lexa inside her. Her entrance is aching to be fucked by Lexa. Clarke feels Lexa’s tongue remove from her clit and she leans forward to see why she’s stopped. When she looks down and see’s what Lexa’s doing, she immediately feels her clit throbbing. Lexa’s licking two fingers and getting ready to fuck her. Clarke sits up half way, reaches down, grabs Lexa by the neck, brings her forward, and kisses her with tongue. She moans as she tastes herself on Lexa’s lips. As she’s kissing her, Lexa has moved her hand back down rubbing circles on her clit. Clarke anticipates Lexa’s fingers sliding into her and when she did, Clarke’s mouth fell open. Lexa’s slowly pumping in and out of Clarke. Both of their mouths are slightly open and hovering over each other. Lexa gives her one last passionate kiss before pushing Clarke back down.

Clarke’s hips start bucking underneath Lexa as she starts to speed up the pace. “Lexa, you feel so good inside me… Faster…” Lexa obliges and starts pumping faster. She curls her fingers inside of her and starts to slowly twist her hand as she’s inside her. Lexa can tell Clarke’s close cause her breathing is quick and short and her hands are clutching the sheets tightly. When Lexa reattaches her lips to her clit and starts to suck, that does it.

“Ohhhh, Lexa. Lexa, I’m coming. Ohhh, don’t stop… Right there…” Lexa’s now using the flat part of her tongue and drawing circles and Clarke unravels beneath her. Clarke lets out the loudest moan yet saying Lexa’s name. Clarke feels the ultimate release. She sees stars and her body is shaking from the intensity of the orgasm. Clarke’s thighs tighten around her head gently and both her hands are on Lexa’s head. Lexa’s fingers can’t move because of how hard Clarke came, but Lexa is gently helping Clarke ride out her orgasm as long as she can with her tongue. When she feels Clarke relax, she removes her hand and she tastes Clarke one last time before she starts kissing her way up to Clarke.

Clarke is laying, post-orgasm, with her chest rising and falling. She moved one of her hands to cover her face thinking about how hard and fast she just came underneath Lexa. When Lexa makes her way back to eye level with Clarke, she sees that she is still recovering from her orgasm. She prides herself for a moment for giving the blond such an intense orgasm. She kisses Clarke softly on the lips and asked, “How was that?” Before Clarke responds, she closes her thighs trapping Lexa in between. Lexa feels Clarke’s thighs trembling and then stop when she relaxes. 

Clarke’s a little embarrassed by how fast she came. But then again, she’s never felt this way about someone she’s having sex with—not even with Niylah. When she sees Lexa smirk, she bites her lips and pulls Lexa down to meet her lips. She then gently nudges Lexa’s shoulders and Lexa starts to turn over allowing Clarke to straddle Lexa. Clarke is complete naked while Lexa is still clothed. She seductively starts to trace her fingers from the hem of Lexa’s shorts up towards her sports bra. She cups Lexa’s breasts and Lexa lets out a deep sigh and relaxes. Clarke plays with the band of her sports bra signaling her to take it off.

Lexa sits up and removes her sports bra exposing her breasts. Clarke then slips off of Lexa’s lap and stands on the floor. She rips off both shorts and underwear in one motion. Clarke is now looking at the beauty Lexa is entirely. Lexa is the most beautiful person she has ever met by long shot and she couldn’t wait for Lexa to start screaming her name. Lexa lets out a content sigh and arches her back when she feels Clarke hands over her breasts. Clarke leans down and kisses Lexa’s chest and makes her way towards her nipples. She pinches one while she sucks on the other. “Clarke…,” Lexa manages to form as she sharply inhales. Clarke looks up at Lexa with those blue crystal eyes and she trails her way up towards Lexa’s neck. She sucks on her pulse point gently causing another reaction out of the brunette under her. She then finally plants her lips on Lexa’s and they sigh into each other.

Lexa’s hands are roaming all over the girl on top of her as their lips kiss. She loves feeling Clarke’s naked body on top of hers. When she feels Clarke start trailing her kisses towards Lexa’s cheek, neck, and then to her ears, she can feel herself becoming wetter by the second. Clarke lets out the smallest sigh close to her ear and she kisses the skin behind her ear. She feels Lexa moan and twitch below her. _Ooo, found a spot_. “Hmmm, I found a sensitive spot didn’t I?” Lexa didn’t respond nor did Clarke need her to. She can feel Lexa’s thighs underneath her squeeze tightly together. Clarke smirks and then gently nibbles on Lexa’s ear lobe and whispers seductively, “I wanna know how wet you are for me.” She sucks on Lexa’s ear lobe one more time eliciting a groan from the brunette before returning to Lexa’s delicious lips. 

Clarke and Lexa’s chest are still close together as Clarke brings her free hand down between her and Lexa’s sex. She becomes a little too eager and she slips her fingers through Lexa’s folds. She lets out a little gasp into Lexa’s mouth when she found Lexa drenched. Lexa arches her back and bucks. Clarke smirks and demands sultrily, “I want you to scream my name, Lexa.” Right when Clarke said that, her fingers started to tease her entrance and two fingers slipped into her.

“Clarke!” Lexa breaths in. “God, yes, Clarke… You feel so goood… Harder,” begs Lexa inside Clarke’s mouth. Lexa’s thoughts are stunted from the way Clarke is making her feel. When Clarke speeds up the pace. Lexa’s hands travel to Clarke’s golden hair and pulls her in to kiss her. Their tongues reconnect, both girls are moaning into each other, and Lexa’s grip on her hair tightens. Clarke doesn’t mind the pain—all she wants is Lexa to scream her name. Clarke then moves her thumb to Lexa’s clit and rubs small circles as her fingers curl. Lexa inhales, separates her lips from Clarke’s, tilts her head back, and arches her back.

“Ohhhhh, Claaaaarke, just like that. Don’t stop… Clarke!” Lexa breaths out. Her hands have let go of Clarke and is now gripping on the sheets on the bed. She didn’t want to hurt Clarke from her grip. Clarke continues to curl her fingers in Lexa and she feels the walls around her fingers tighten and Lexa’s body shake. She looks down at the beautiful girl beneath her reach her climax. _Everything about her is beautiful_. She’s slowly pulsing her fingers through Lexa, helping her ride out her orgasm. When she feels Lexa relax, she pulls her fingers out, and brings them to her mouth. Clarke makes sure Lexa’s looking as she dips her fingers in her mouth. 

“Mmmm, Lexa, you taste so good,” Clarke pulls her fingers out of her mouth with a pop. She then leans down and kisses Lexa and Lexa loves tasting herself on Clarke’s lips. Clarke then grins at Lexa as she travels down to clean the girl up. Lexa trembles when Clarke reaches her sensitive clit and can’t help but let out a whine and gently close her thighs around Clarke’s head. Lexa is still out of breath when Clarke climbs back up and faces her.

They smile at each other and Lexa cups Clarke’s face and says, “That… Was amazing.” Clarke leans in and kisses Lexa softly on her lips. She then lays next to Lexa, facing her. Lexa is still in a haze after her intense orgasm but turns to look at Clarke. “You are amazing, Clarke. You’re perfect.” 

Clarke reaches out and moves a strand of hair from her face. Clarke is completely infatuated with the girl. She doesn’t know what is becoming of her, but her intuition is telling her that Lexa is good for her and she decides to follow what her gut says. She realizes that they just had sex after they’ve talked about their past lovers. She sits up and places her hand on Lexa’s cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

Lexa’s overfilled with emotions at this point. She just had sex with Clarke and she feels bonded with the girl. _We’re not even dating… not officially anyways. What if I asked her to be my girlfriend? Is it too soon? Does she even feel the same way? Should I take her on another date first before I ask her? Am I completely over thinking this?_

“I don’t know… Everything?” Lexa says shyly. Clarke suddenly grabs the comforter and drapes it over the both of them. She lays back down, grabs Lexa’s arm, and turns her back towards her. She scoots her back closer to Lexa’s front and places Lexa’s arm her waist being the little spoon.

“I am too…” Clarke whispers. Lexa holds Clarke closer to her chest. She dips her nose into Clarke’s hair and quietly inhales. _So intoxicating_.

“What are you thinking about?” Lexa returns the question.

“I’m… Thinking about us. What will happen to us now?” Clarke places her hand on top of Lexa’s on her waist.

“What do you want to happen to us?” Lexa tentatively asks. Lexa’s heart is beating out of her chest. Clarke laughs and starts to run her fingertips up and down Lexa’s arm. “You can’t answer a question with a question, Lexa. And I asked first!”

Lexa chuckles in Clarke’s hair. “You’re right, you’re right,” Lexa agrees. _Here it goes_. Lexa breaths in that intoxicating smell again and speaks, “I don’t know what will happen to us, but what I do know is… _I_ want to give us a chance. If you want to…” Lexa waits for a response. All she can hope is that Clarke feels the same way and she agrees.

“Of course I want to, Lexa,” Clarke turns around to face Lexa with a big smile. “I was worried you wouldn’t feel the same way…” 

Lexa studies Clarke’s expression and she suddenly feels a surge of confidence. “Clarke, will you be my girlfriend and allow me to take you on an official date?”

“Really??” says Clarke excitedly. Lexa smiles, “I wouldn’t want anything more than to be able to call you mine and take you on a date.”

Clarke slips her hand in between Lexa’s and intertwines her hands with hers. She feels Lexa tighten their hold.

Clarke places a kiss on Lexa’s lips with a smile, “So smooth.” After a momentary pause, she answers.

“I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're finally official. Finally!
> 
> Leave a comment or not! Let me know your thoughts and feels!
> 
> Till next time!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Sorry for the long wait, it's towards the end of the summer and things are picking up at work.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!
> 
> I own nothing.
> 
> I apologize for any errors!

By the time Clarke and Lexa finished, it’s was already 2:00 PM in the afternoon. They didn’t actually get out of bed until 4:00 PM. They stayed in bed, still naked, and talked. They talked about their families, friends, favorites, anything and everything. But really, sometimes they didn’t talk at all. They would be wrapped up together kissing each other until their hearts content. Both girls didn’t want to be anywhere else and they just couldn’t get enough of each other. 

Lexa giggles into the kiss, “Clarke… Claaaarke!” Clarke has been bribing Lexa on and off for the past 2 hours with kisses to stay in bed longer. Lexa finally puts her hand on Clarke’s chest and pushes back gently. Clarke starts to pout and Lexa couldn’t help but kiss that bottom lip gently before quickly moving away before being sucked back in the trance of Clarke Griffin.

“As much as I enjoy talking to you and, most of all, kissing you, we need to get out of bed,” Lexa tries to reason with Clarke. As much as Lexa would like to stay in bed with Clarke, there are many things that need to be done. Clarke sighs and turns over on her back, “Ugh, I know you’re right, but it is so bad of me to want to just stay here and not worry about anything else?” Lexa kisses Clarke’s shoulder and moves out of bed. The sheets fall off gracefully from the girl’s body and Clarke couldn’t help but stare.

Lexa walks towards the bathroom, but before she walks out of Clarke’s sight, she looks over her shoulder and grins knowing Clarke’s gaze is on her. To satisfy her hunch, she sees Clarke shamelessly staring at Lexa’s naked body and is basically drooling. Lexa walks through the bathroom and realizes she should rinse off her body. She turns on the shower and then smirks at the idea that pops in her head. She walks back over to the bedroom and peeps her head out.

“Hey, I was wondering-,” was all Lexa managed to say because she noticed Clarke was starting to get dressed again. “Oh, nevermind!” Lexa makes her way back in the bathroom. She hears Clarke run towards the bathroom.

“Wait, what were you going to say?” Clarke asked questioningly with a sprinkle of hope.

Lexa blushes a little, “Oh, nothing, it’s okay.” Clarke stands there with her one eyebrow raised. Lexa sighs and gives in, “I was gonna ask if you wanted to shower…with me… You know to conserve water and all, but you already got dressed.” Clarke’s expression changed from questioning to desire. She slowly removes her shorts and takes a couple of steps towards Lexa. When she’s arms length away she takes off her shirt. Clarke timed her movements perfectly because she’s now standing in Lexa’s personal space—naked.

“You don’t want to shower… With me?” Clarke said as she bit her lip.

Lexa gulped and the only thing she was able to say was, “Well…I didn’t know if it was inappropriate or reaching…” Lexa was cemented to her spot when she feels Clarke graze her fingertips upwards along Lexa’s stomach, towards her chest, up her neck, and then stop at Lexa’s chin. Clarke leans in so that her lips are right next to Lexa’s ears and says, “I think we’re already past inappropriate and reaching, don’t you think?” Clarke lustfully licks Lexa’s earlobe before she pulls back and is now millimeters away from Lexa’s lips. She looks into those green orbs longingly before glancing down at those perfectly full lips and then back at Lexa’s eyes. Lexa’s entire body is tingling from being so close to Clarke. She finally broke free from her trance and places her hand on Clarke’s lower back, pulls her in close, and smashes their lips together. Clarke moans and puts both of her hands around Lexa’s neck. She slightly leaning backwards from Lexa’s aggressive kiss and she giggles as their lips separate.

Lexa leads Clarke into the steaming shower and pins her against the shower wall. They moaned each others name’s like a mantra and they definitely, didn’t conserve any water.

* * *

By the time Clarke and Lexa finally got out of the shower and got dressed, it was already 6:00 PM. Lexa’s completely shock by how the time manages to fly by just by being with Clarke. She gave Clarke another change of clothes so she can be more comfortable. She sudden realized she has not checked her phone all day, so she finds her phone and see’s 15 text messages from her group message with Lincoln and Anya.

Anya (10:47):  
Lexa, are you still with Clarke?

Anya (10:59):  
Hellllooo, Earth to Lexa! 

Anya (11:00):  
ALEXANDRIA!!!!

Lincoln (11:01):  
Well, at least we know she’s definitely still with Clarke ;)

Anya (11:02):  
Tsk, tsk.. Well, we’re all going to the coffee shop around the corner if you want to come

Lincoln (11:04):  
She probably is coming, but not in that way ;)))

Anya (11:07):  
OH! LINCOLN! GROSS!

Anya (11:07):  
But you go, Lexa ;))

Lexa rolls her eyes, but internally she has butterflies in her stomach. Anya and Lincoln were there for her after Costia and they have been nothing but supportive of her. They tried to take her out to places to distract her, take her paintballing a couple times, and go out to their ranch and ride her horse. It wasn’t until a year and a half after Costa left when the both of them started encouraging Lexa to go out to meet new people. Lexa’s grateful for her siblings after everything she’s put them through.

_“Lexa! You can’t keep drowning yourself in work and not go out and socialize!” Anya spat as she follows Lexa out of the house towards the pool house. “That bitch didn’t deserve you and you deserve better than letting her spirit haunt you! You HAVE TO move on!”_

_“ENOUGH!” Lexa demands as she turns on her heels. She turned so fast that Anya almost ran into her. Both girls’ chests are breathing heavily. Lexa knows she has to move on, but she can’t help but think the next person she meets is just going to leave her the way Costia did. She looks dead into Anya’s eyes and says calmly, “I know, Anya. I do. Just let me do it on my own time.”_

_Anya scoffs and backs away with her arms open, “And when is that going to be, Lexa? You’re sulking around the house and pushing everyone away. Lincoln and I hate seeing you like this. It’s been a year and a half! That bitch doesn’t deserve your thoughts or your time anymore!”_

_Lexa tightens her hands into a fist and clenches her jaw. She doesn’t want to hit her sister, but if she continues, she doesn’t know what she’ll do. “Leave me,” was all she managed to say through her clenched jaws. When she saw Anya open her mouth to say something else, she landed a right hook to Anya’s jaw. Anya was thrown off her balance and stumbled. Before Anya counters, she feels someone grab her around the waist, lift her, and turns her away. Lincoln is holding Anya back and telling her to calm down and when she did Lincoln turns around and looks at Lexa._

_“Lexa, come on, seriously? She’s just looking out for you. And I agree with her. You need to get over Costia. She’s not coming back, she was a cunt, and-,” Lincoln also got a taste of Lexa’s right hook and he stumbles into Anya. Anya was about to launch herself at Lexa again, but Lincoln stands firmly and holds her back. He turns to look at Lexa and Lexa snaps out of it._

_Lexa looks at her hands and back at Anya and Lincoln. She can’t believe she actually laid hands on them. Never in a million years did she imagine ever hurting them. She feels an overwhelming sense of guilt and can feel the tears build in her eyes. She doesn’t say anything and turns around and runs into the pool house. She closes the door, leans back, and slides down. She’s crying in her hands. She’s crying over hitting Anya and Lincoln. She’s crying over Costia. She’s crying over how pathetic she has become. She lets it all out. After she’s feels the tears stop flowing, she wipes them off her face and stands. She promised herself from that point forward that is the last time she will ever cry over Costia and harm her siblings ever again._

She continues to read the remaining text messages.

Anya (13:00):  
Our coffee dates turned to lunch dates and boy did we learn a lot about Clarkey

*Sends gif with wiggling eyebrows*

Lincoln (13:02)  
LMAO 

Lincoln (13:03)  
You got yourself a good one there sis ;)

Anya (13:04)  
Good to know we all got a good one!

*Lincoln liked Anya’s message*

Anya (17:30)  
Sooooo, are y’all having the sexathon or something? Y’all skipped out on coffee/lunch with us, but y’all are NOT going to skip out on dinner

Lincoln (17:31):  
I mean they have to be right? That’s why Clarke isn’t responding back to Octavia and Raven too

Anya (17:56):  
IF Y’ALL ARE NOT OUTSIDE IN THE NEXT 10 MINUTES THEN I AM BREAKING THROUGH YOUR DOOR AND DRAGGING THE BOTH OF Y’ALL OUT. CLOTHED OR NOT. 

Lexa looks at the time on her phone and it reads 18:06.

“OH SHIT!” Lexa bolts to the door and she heard Clarke call out her name. Knowing Anya, she will bust down her door. She runs through the hallway, through the dimly lit living room, and swings the door open. She opened the door just in time to see Anya charging. Anya rammed straight into her and she hugged her taking in all her momentum.

“Anya! What the fuck!” exclaims Lexa as she holds Anya.

Anya moves away from Lexa and laughs, “Good to see you’re clothed and alive! I was starting to think you drowned in the-“

“OHHHH KAYYY Anya!” Lexa raised her voice. Anya just laughed louder.

“Hey Anya,” says a voice from the hallway. Clarke had her hair tied in a French braid similar to how Lexa ties it. _What a vision_ , thinks Lexa. A smile slowly creeps on her face and Anya notices this, but decides not to comment.

“Hello Clarke, we missed you at lunch today,” Anya says warmly.

“Sorry… Lexa and I needed a moment to talk since we didn’t get to last night,” Clarke said honestly. “Wait, you said we… Did Raven and Octavia go too?”

Anya nodded. “It was an… eye opening lunch,” Anya said with a smirk.

_Oh god, what did they tell them…_ Clarke’s face looks worried so Lexa chimes in.

“Well, you said something about dinner, so what’s the plan?” Lexa questions.

“That’s why I came here to get y’all. And, mostly to make sure y’all are still alive since y’all have been away all day,” Anya says as she nudges Lexa.

That’s when Clarke realized she hasn’t checked her phone all day. She excuses herself to Lexa’s bedroom and starts flipping through the sheets to find her phone. When she finds it, she found 30+ unread messages from her group chat with Octavia and Raven. She opens her messages, but doesn’t read through all of them yet because it would take too long. She makes her way back to the living room to see Anya with a grin and Lexa with a smile. She makes her way over to Lexa with a smile on her face and says, “You ready?”

Lexa nods and they follow Anya out the door. Clarke is happy yet sad at the same time. She’s sad that she’s leaving the wonderful bubble of being with Lexa, but happy that she was able to spend so much time with the girl. The more she thinks about it, the more she becomes excited. She can’t wait to see how their relationship will develop. Right before they make it to the sliding door, Lexa pulls Clarke to the side. Before Clarke could get a word out, Lexa lands a kiss on Clarke’s lips.

Clarke smiles into the kiss and when Lexa pulls away, she sees her smile too.

“What was that for?” asks Clarke with a happy smile.

“Just cause,” Lexa shrugs with a grin.

Clarke blushes and smiles shyly. Lexa starts to walk towards the house with Clarke in-tow. When she in the house, she sees Raven, Lincoln, and Octavia sitting in the living room. They’re all talking, but Clarke’s too far away to hear what they’re talking about.

“Look who decided to show up!” Octavia shouted as she stood up with her arms open. Raven and Lincoln looked up and then they both grinned. Clarke, Lexa, and Anya walk over to the couch and sits. Clarke and Lexa sit noticeably close to each other. Clarke blushes and the smallest grin shows on her face.

“Hello Octavia, good to see you again,” Lexa nods at Octavia and she smiles.

“Always a pleasure to see you, Lexa,” Octavia responds.

Lexa then looks over to the tall and skinny Latina and recognizes her as the other girl in Clarke’s profile picture on Facebook. She also vaguely remembers the girl from the first day of school.

She looks over to her and says, “Hello, I believe we’ve never officially met yet. I’m Le-.”

“Lexa. I know who you are. Clarke’s mentioned you a couple of times before,” smirked Raven before she continued. “I’m Raven, one of Clarke’s best friends. Nice to finally meet you!”

Lexa smiles and adds, “Oh that’s interesting…” She looks to her left at Clarke and says, “you’ve mentioned me a couple of times, huh?”

Clarke turns away and tries to save her face, “Only once or twice… Don’t let it go to your head now.”

Lincoln laughs and looks over at Clarke, “You’re not the only one. Lexa talks about you just as often it makes me feel like I know you already.” Lexa glares over at Lincoln, but Lincoln completely ignores her. “I’m Lincoln, the youngest Woods,” he introduces himself officially and politely to Clarke. 

“Nice to finally meet you-,” was all Clarke managed to get out before Anya’s outburst.

“Okay, okay, okay. Hello, hello! Can we get to the real situation at hand? Where do we all want to go eat? I’m starving!” Anya said impatiently.

Lincoln chimes in, “What’s everyone feeling?”

Raven answers, “Honestly, anything. I’m so hungry.” She looks over to Lexa and Clarke. “Y’all two must be _really_ hungry since y’all haven’t left the pool house all day,” says Raven as she smiles devilishly.

Clarke rolls her eyes, but secretly acknowledges the truth—she’s famished. The both of them haven’t really eaten anything all day besides the omelets she made this morning and she can’t deny the fact that the sex with Lexa was so amazing it drained all her energy and left her extremely hungry. She thinks about what she wants, but before she can think of anything, Lexa speaks up.

“What about Tex-Mex? I could go for a nice margarita,” Lexa says nonchalantly.

Everyone’s faces light up and Anya spoke, “I like the sound of that.”

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant, everyone’s noses were filled with the amazing smell of good ol’ Mexican food. It was a Sunday evening, but it was still packed. The restaurant was decorated with a mix of Texas and Mexican culture. The hostess sat them at a rectangular table with six chairs. Lexa and Anya sat at the head of the table on opposite sides of each other, Lincoln and Octavia sat together on one side, and Raven and Clarke sitting on the other. They ordered the special for the day which was beef and chicken fajitas with rice, beans, sour cream, avocado, and pico de gallo. They also all, of course, ordered margaritas.

When the waitress came back with the margaritas—frozen and on the rocks, everyone finally breaks into conversation.

“Since everyone else was with each other all day, what did y’all two do all day,” Raven asked cunningly.

Clarke looks over at Lexa. She doesn’t know how to answer or what to say. Lexa looks over at Clarke and notices her slowly starting to panic. Lexa panics a little as well because she doesn’t know how much she should say. _Agh, what to say! Just play it on the safe side…_

“We had breakfast and we talked and got to learn more about each other,” Lexa trying to keep it as vague as possible. Lexa peaked a glance at Clarke and saw that she has indeed relaxed a little, but the interrogation is not over. 

“Oh yeah? What did y’all talk about?” Pried Octavia.

Clarke glared at both Octavia and Raven. _Of course my two best friends are putting me on the spot right now_. Even with the glare, Octavia and Raven still insisted on an answer. Right when Clarke was about to say something, Lexa spoke up.

“I heard y’all learned some interesting things about Clarke today at lunch, y’all care to share?” Lexa said in hopes of redirecting the conversation. She doesn’t wish to share to the others about the multiple intimate moments her and Clarke shared together today. Maybe in a smaller group setting, but definitely not now. She discretely reached her hand under the table towards Clarke’s thigh and squeezed it. Hoping she’d understand her intentions.

Clarke looked over to Lexa when she felt the squeeze. Even though Clarke is still in the spotlight, she smiles sweetly thanking her for changing the subject. She definitely didn’t want to bring up her past or what her and Lexa engaged in hours ago. Twice.

Lincoln chimes in and laughs, “Learned how these three girls met each other.”

Anya and Lincoln both start chuckling together.

Lexa sat up straighter and leaned into the table. “Ooooo, I want to hear! Do tell!” Lexa said eagerly.

Lincoln starts by telling the story on how Octavia and Clarke met.

* * *

_Clarke is on the field with her cheer team. Some girls are practicing their tumbling while the others are practicing their cheers. She’s currently a sophomore in high school and she wants to work to become cheer captain after Ontari graduates next year. They practice outside with the varsity girls’ soccer team which Clarke doesn’t complain because she gets to steal glances at the captain of the soccer team—Niylah._

_Clarke’s practice was close to finishing. They were doing some last minute stretching when all of a sudden she hears commotion happening on the soccer field. She sees the entire soccer team split in two groups because they were holding back two girls: Niylah and a short brunette Clarke has never seen before. Clarke and some of the girls on the cheer team run over to see what’s going on and as Clarke gets closer, she can hear the altercation._

_“You crazy bitch! This is practice! Why the fuck are you being so aggressive!” shouted Niylah as she’s being held back by her teammates._

_“You suck at being captain! You don’t push your teammates to be better! You just fuck around the whole time! How the hell did you even become captain?!” Shouted the feisty brunette._

_“Who the fuck do you even think you are?! You’re lucky I even allowed you to come and practice with us without trying out! If I had known you were crazy, I would have never let you practice with us! Get the fuck off my field!” Niylah pointed her finger towards the locker room._

_The short brunette yanked herself away from the girls holding her back and puffed up her chest. Even though Niylah is taller than her by at least half a foot, she holds herself up firmly. She looks around at all the girls on the team and says to them, “Y’all will never win a state championship with a captain like her. She may be a good player, but just because she’s a good player doesn’t mean you’d be a good captain or even deserve to be captain.” The short brunette then looks over to Niylah and states, “You mark my words. By your senior year, Niylah, you will never be able to win a championship.”_

_And with that, the brunette walks away from the crowd, grabs her duffle bag, and walks off the field. Clarke looks at the faces of the girls on the team and then looks over at Niylah. She looks angry, frustrated, and agitated. After a couple of seconds, she throws her hands up and says practice is ending early and they’ll pick up where they left off tomorrow. All the girls on the team disperse, including Clarke and the rest of the cheer team._

_Wow, that was interesting, thought Clarke. She heads back to her team and they end practice too._

_Later that weekend, Clarke invites Raven over to her house to hang out and maybe think abut going to a party later. Raven mentions that she’s bringing someone that she met in her Physics class that she thinks is cool. Clarke doesn’t care and told her that she can come over too. When Clarke walks up to the door to let the girls in, she sees Raven and the short brunette from earlier that week._

_“Octavia, this is Clarke. Clarke, meet Octavia!” Raven introduces the girls to each other._

_“Hey Clarke! Thanks for letting me come over with Raven,” the short brunette says politely._

_Clarke was slightly taken aback by how polite the brunette is since her first impression was her insulting the captain of the girls’ soccer team._

_“Hi Octavia, nice to meet you. I remember seeing you at school once,” says Clarke as she invites both the girls in and shuts the door._

_“Oh yeah? Do we have class together or something?” Octavia asks._

_“No, but I was there when you chewed Niylah’s head off at soccer practice earlier this week. I’m part of the cheer team and we practice on the same field as them,” Clarke explains._

_Clarke notices Octavia roll her eyes and breathe out. “That Niylah girl is something else. I was on the soccer team of the school I transferred from, Arkadia High, and coming from a program like that to here is such a downgrade. No offense!” Octavia said honestly._

_Clarke has heard of Arkadia High before. Their women’s soccer team is well-known throughout Texas. They’ve won the last two state championships and they also have the most state championship titles in Texas history._

_“Oh wow! Yeah… Our soccer team could never compare to Arkadia High’s,” Clarke deadpanned._

_“I know that, but a huge part of a successful team is the captain. She’s the leader and her duty is to the team to make sure everyone is improving together and motivating the team to want to be better. Niylah’s literally only captain because she’s the best player. She wears the band just for show and that pisses me off,” Octavia explains passionately._

_Raven and Clarke were both silent for a moment after Octavia’s rant, but Raven doesn’t know how much Clarke relates to Octavia. Ontari was a great cheerleader, but she was horrible at being cheer captain. She doesn’t see the team as a whole and she doesn’t play to each girls strengths to better the team. She just forces each girl to be good in every stunt. Of course, it’s best if every girl is well rounded, but if a girl is better at tumbling, then you let that girl tumble!_

_So when Octavia finished her rant, she knew she was going to like the girl._

_“Well, Octavia, I like you already,” Clarke said with a smirk._

* * *

When they finished telling the story, Lexa looked over at Clarke and said with an eyebrow raised, “Wait, didn’t you date Niylah?”

Anya and Lincoln looked over with their eyes widened slightly.

“Yeah, but I didn’t date her cause of her wonderful leadership potential…” Clarke said with a shrug. “She was a good person off the field,” Clarke reasoned.

“Nah, she was still a bitch,” interjected Raven. Everyone started to burst out laughing except for Clarke who rolls her eyes.

“Well, Octavia’s right, you know? About everything you said about being a captain,” Lexa deadpanned.

Octavia sits up straighter, “You play soccer?”

Lincoln laughs and says, “Remember when I told you we went to Arkadia High too? Well…” Lincoln paused for dramatic effect, “Lexa was the captain of the women’s varsity soccer team.”

Clarke, Octavia, and Raven mouths practically dropped to the floor and said in unison, “WHAT?!”

Octavia was the first to speak, “I never got the chance to meet the captain before I transferred, but that was YOU?!”

Lexa shies away for a second, but then looks back at Octavia with a grin, “Once upon a time, yes. I was the captain of the women’s soccer team at Arkadia High.”

Anya chimes in, “Oh, stop being modest, Lexa. She was the captain you mentioned that lead the team to two state championships back to back and then another during her senior year. She had so many offers to play in college, but she turned them all down so she could focus on her academics and become a lawyer like our parents.” 

As if the girls’ mouths couldn’t open wider, they did. Lexa rolled her eyes at Anya’s comments, but she couldn’t deny the pride she felt inside. Academic achievements are what Lexa values most above all, but she couldn’t deny her athleticism and her passion for competing. She doesn’t like to brag about her achievements, but she secretly likes it when her siblings boost her a couple of times. 

“God damn, is there anything y’all siblings can’t do?” Raven says slightly defeated. Anya and Lincoln laugh out loud while Lexa just grins.

“What can I say, we three are the dynamic trio,” Anya shrugs with a huge grin.

Lexa shakes her head at the statement. She looks over at Clarke who’s deep in thought. She places her hand on Clarke’s thigh under the table which snaps Clarke out of her trance.

“Why didn’t you tell me about such a huge achievement earlier today?” Clarke whispers making their conversation private.

Lexa shrugs and explains, “I don’t like to gloat on my past endeavors…” Lexa pauses before continuing, “But you definitely have a thing for soccer players.” With that Clarke smiles and chuckles quietly.

“Apparently, I do, but you can’t blame me,” Clarke smiles mischievously.

Lexa blushes a little and the both of them were dragged back into the conversation when they hear Raven laugh and say, “You know what’s a good story? How Clarke and I met.”

“Oh god…” Clarke puts her hand over her face, but she can’t hide the smile that inevitably shows.

“Oh come on, Griffin! You know this is a good story!” Raven exclaims.

“It is, but that doesn’t mean I like to relive it!” Clarke playfully argues.

* * *

_Clarke’s in the 4th grade and its recess time. Instead of playing on the monkey bars or the swings, she decides to try playing kickball with the other kids. The captains were picked and Clarke was last pick since she looked the least athletic. I’ll show them, though young Clarke._

_Clarke has never been the athletic type. She’s more of the creative and artistic type, but she wants to at least see what kick ball is all about. She wants to know why her other classmates are always raving about it._

_After 2 innings, it’s finally Clarke’s turn to kick. She hears a skinny brunette shout, “Bring it in y’all! I bet she can’t kick too far.”_

_Clarke feels like someone punched her in the gut, but it also fueled her to try and prove her dignity. She starts to feel nervous and scared. It was even more humiliating when the pitcher rolled the ball super slowly towards her. Clarke builds momentum and kicks the ball as hard as she could and surprisingly, it soars over everyone’s head. She runs as fast as she could towards first base and when she touches the mound she looks up to see the skinny brunette from earlier still chasing after the ball._

_Everyone at the bench is screaming at her to run to second, so she starts to spring as fast as she could towards the second mound. When she touches the second mound, she sees the skinny brunette running towards her with the ball in hand._

_The brunette looks at her with disdain as she throws the ball back to the pitcher. The skinny brunette stands around Clarke rather than the position she was at before. The pitcher pitches the ball towards the new kicker and the ball was kicked between third and second base. Since Clarke doesn’t know any better and is filled with adrenaline, she starts to run towards third base._

_The skinny brunette scoops up the ball and then turns to face Clarke. The brunette was no more than 5 feet away and she chunks the ball directly at Clarke’s face. The force the skinny brunette exerted was by all means unnecessary. The ball collided right into Clarke’s face which causes Clarke to fall backwards. Everyone stopped in their tracks when they noticed what happened._

_Clarke propped herself up and touched her face. When she pulled her hand back she saw a little blood on her hand and can feel some blood drip out of her nose. She looks up at the skinny brunette towering over her._

_“What’s your problem?!” shouted Clarke as she stood up from the floor._

_“Why don’t you just go back to playing on the monkey bars or the swings. You don’t belong here!” justified the brunette._

_“I can do whatever I want!” Clarke pushed the brunette. Clarke has never been a physical or aggressive person, but the brunette was making her feel anger like she’s never felt before._

_“Get out of here! No one wants you!” shouted the brunette as she pushed Clarke back._

_Before anyone could intervene, young Clarke and the brunette started wrestling on the dirt floor. They were tugging on each others hair and pushing their hands in each other’s faces. The kids circled around them and started chanting “fight, fight, fight!” which caused the teachers to rush over and break up the two girls._

_Clarke’s nose was already bloody, but now her face had red scuffs and dirt. The brunette didn’t look any better. There was a small cut on her lip and dirt was on her cheeks and forehead. Even though the teachers are pulling them apart, both girls were trying to escape their grasp and give the other girl a piece of their mind._

_“You girls need to stop! We’re taking you both to the principal’s office!” said one of the teachers._

_When Clarke and the brunette are sitting next to each other in the waiting area of the principal’s office, they were both silent and looking down at their hands. After a couple of minutes, Clarke was the first one to speak up._

_“Why did you have to throw the ball so hard at my face? You could have just tapped me out with the ball.” Clarke softly asked the brunette without removing her eyes from her hands in her lap._

_The brunette remained quiet at first and then decides to speak up. “You’ve never played kick ball before and I’ve played every day. I’m the only girl that plays and you turned out better than I expected. I didn’t want people to think you were better than me,” the brunette said quietly without removing her gaze from her hands too._

_Clarke has mixed feelings about what the brunette just said. She feels great that she actually was a threat to the brunette, but she also felt back for unintentionally stealing the girls thunder. She just wanted to play once and see if she liked it._

_“I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to try and play for once,” Clarke whispered quietly._

_The brunette shrugged and whispered, “Well, at least you don’t kick and punch like a normal girl. You’re pretty cool.”_

_Clarke turned to look at the brunette and the brunette returned the gaze. Clarke smiles and reaches out her hand, “I’m Clarke.”_

_The brunette looks at Clarke’s hand and grips it, “I’m Raven.”_

_Both girls grinned and then moments later, the principal called them into his office._

* * *

Everyone started laughing at the image of Raven chunking a rubber ball in Clarke’s face causing her to bleed. Clarke blushed in embarrassment while laughing with everyone else.

“And from then on, Clarke and I became best friends! We also dominated kick ball for the rest of the year,” Raven says as she nudges Clarke.

Anya’s bent over and holding on to the edge of the table laughing. She wipes off the tears that are excreting from her eyes and when she finally gathers herself she says, “Oh my god, I can’t image mini Clarke being pegged by mini Raven. Ohhh, I’d pay to see that reenactment!”

Clarke laughs and says, “Let’s not cause that shit actually really hurt.”

There was one last round of laughter before the server finally returns with everyone’s food and they all enjoyed their meals filled with smiles and laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment if you feel like it! I always appreciate them :)
> 
> Till next time!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I had the story finished, but I left it on my work computer and couldn't upload it on Friday.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> I own nothing. Sorry for any mistakes.

After Clarke and Lexa were able to talk and share their feelings with each other, they fell head first into midterm week. Clarke and Lexa both had midterms on and off for the next two weeks. Since they’re both so studious, they didn’t really get a chance to see each other besides in class or when they study together. They were able to share notes and Clarke was extremely grateful for Lexa’s prolific knowledge in anything political science or history. Political science was Clarke’s least favorite subject. She didn’t necessarily need help since she is also very academically inclined, but she deliberately used it as an excuse to be able to study and see Lexa outside of class.

Aside from Lexa, Clarke, Raven, and Octavia are slightly freaking out about their first midterms. This will be their first midterm as college students and the fear of the unknown is making them very nervous. Clarke’s first test is Biology which isn’t bad because it’s her favorite subject and learning the material flows like water. Raven’s slightly freaking out about her engineering test and Octavia is trying to cram half a semester’s worth of adolescent psychology in two days.

“UGH, I need a freaking break! I can’t read anything else about kids and theories and how they think,” exhaled Octavia. All the girls are in the living room of the Blake’s apartment trying to study as much as they can. Raven has headphones in sitting at the living room table concentrating on equations while Clarke is hunched over on the couch analyzing the cell cycle.

Clarke looks up from her textbook and see’s Octavia sprawled out like a starfish on the hardwood floor. Clarke puts her pen in between the textbook and closes it. She stands up from the couch and stretches. She looks at her watch to see the time is only 8:30 PM.

“Wanna go grab some food? I could go for some chicken tenders from Whataburger,” Clarke said persuasively.

“Did someone say Whataburger?” Raven joined the conversation.

Octavia chuckles as she sits up from laying on the floor, “Of course that would pull you out of your concentration.”

Raven removes her headphones and closes her laptop. “Duhhh, Whataburger is my weakness! Y’all know that!”

All three girls start putting their jackets on and piled into Clarke’s car. It’s the beginning of October and the evening chill of the fall weather is upon Houston. They were able to find the closest Whataburger which happens to only be a 9-minute drive. She never really understood the rave about Whataburger since she never really liked to eat burgers in the first place. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t really obsess over it as much as Raven does.

“So give me an update on your Woods,” Octavia said as they waited for their food. They decided to dine in since they weren’t in a rush to get back to studying. It was also a good time to catch up on each other’s lives outside of school.

Raven laughed, “Seriously… What are the odds that each one of us ended up with someone from that family?”

“I thought that ever since the party,” Clarke chuckled and continued, “But seriously Raven, what’s with you and Anya? Y’all have definitely been hanging out together more ever since the party.”

Raven contemplated for a second before answering, “You know… To be completely honest, I’m not sure.” Clarke and Octavia both gave her confused looks while waiting for her to continue. “I mean, we’ve had sex multiple times and the sex is hot… Like probably the best I’ve ever had, but I mean that’s really about it. We don’t really go out on dates like Clarkey over here, but we still hang out and stuff…” Raven deadpanned.

“Is that all you want though? Just a good lay? Cause I’m sensing something else here…” Octavia points out and Clarke nods in agreement.

Raven sighs, “I don’t know what y’all want me to say.”

“Oh come on Rae, I know you and I know when you’re battling with something deep down inside. Spill it out!” Clarke said sternly. She knows how Raven likes to just side swipe her emotions and harbor them inside. Sometimes it frustrates Clarke because it makes her feel like Raven doesn’t trust her to speak about her emotions.

Raven tries to think before she speaks. Before she could get word out, the waitress brought over Clarke’s meal, offered napkins and spicy or regular ketchup, and left. Once the waitress leaves Raven speaks, “I like her, okay? But something just tells me she’s doesn’t want to get into a relationship right now and I’m pretty sure I’m over thinking it, but she is two years older… And… Yeah…”

“Okay first of all, you need someone who’s older because you need to be tamed and balanced by a more mature person. And second, have y’all even talked about it yet?” Octavia justified.

Clarke puts her hand on Octavia’s shoulder and says, “I couldn’t have said it any better.” Both girls giggle for a second while Raven just rolls her eyes.

The waitress comes back with Octavia and Raven’s meal. Raven immediately starts to eat her fries and right before she’s about to indulge in her burger Clarke restated, “Don’t you try to avoid the question, Rae! Have y’all talked about even going out on a date _outside_ of the bedroom?”

Raven looks at Clarke with a dirty smirk before she takes a bite, “Who ever said we were _inside_ the bedroom to begin with?”

Clarke and Octavia’s mouths both dropped just a little as they watched Raven take a massive bite out of her burger. Clarke was the first to ask, “Where?!”

As Raven finishes her bite, she takes a sip of her drink before responding, “Now, what would be the fun in that? Y’all will have to figure that out yourselves. That’s if, your Woods has got any game.” Raven wiggles her eyebrows at both the girls.

“Please, Lincoln has so much game it’s ridiculous,” Octavia said while waving her hand at the comment as if she’s deflecting it back at Raven.

“Ummm, excuse me, but do y’all not remember my first date with Lexa? Yeah she’s the middle child, but clearly she’s the one with most game here,” Clarke defended.

“Awwww, look at the two of y’all defending your baes,” Raven said warmly with a hint of banter. 

“Speaking of which, it’s y’alls turn to spill!”

Octavia didn’t hesitate before she squealed and said, “Lincoln and I are official! He asked me out last night after we went on our first date.” She let out a content sigh as she thought back on their date last night, “It was so perfect. I would have been pissed if he actually didn’t ask me.”

“What did y’all do?” Clarke asked.

Clarke listened as Octavia gives the play by play on how her evening went. Lincoln had apparently planned the whole evening from start to finish. He picked her up at around dinner time and he took her to a Brazilian Steakhouse. Apparently during one of their small talks before their date, they had shared their interest in weightlifting and Lincoln thought this would be a good date for the both of them. She then got a little side tracked by going into detail about how all the protein she ate last night really helped her work out earlier this morning… Blah, blah, blah… To be completely honest, Clarke always zones out whenever Octavia gets into one of her fitness rants. 

Once Octavia finished her fitness rant, she continued with her evening with Lincoln. He took her to eat dessert crepes which happens to also be Octavia’s favorite dessert. _No wonder she said it was perfect_ , thought Clarke. After dessert Lincoln had the intention of ending the night by taking Octavia home, but Octavia had other ideas. She asked if Lincoln drive over to city hall in downtown so they could walk off all the food they ate. While they were walking they talked about each other’s past a little, talked about their family and friends, and then a little about the future. “It was just so easy to talk to each other, you know?” explained Octavia. It wasn’t until a little after 10:30 PM when they got back to the car and drove back.

When Lincoln parked outside Octavia’s apartment that was when he asked her to be his girlfriend. “I kind of knew he was going to because of how similar we are to each other. He’s so handsome, strong-hearted, and by far the kindest man I’ve ever met. On top of that, he works out. We’ve already scheduled days out of the week to work out with each other and I can’t wait!” Octavia blabbered on.

“I’m surprised y’all didn’t go and work out as y’alls first date,” Raven said under her breath but with every intention to be loud enough for Octavia to hear. Clarke laughed and agreed, “I mean seriously though, O. I’m glad you found someone who you like so much and likes you back, but I’m mostly glad that you have found someone who loves to work out as my as you do because that means you no longer have to drag me to work out with you.”

Octavia grins and chuckles, “Hey! I’m just looking out for you to make sure your body matches that sexy face of yours!” Octavia starts to wiggle her shoulders into Clarke, “I mean, look at who you were able to reel in yourself. I believe my training played a big part of Lexa’s attraction to you.”

Clarke rolls her eyes and counters, “That’s definitely debatable. Lexa and I’s attraction is just… I don’t know where to pin it, but it’s different.” Octavia and Raven takes a sip of their drinks as they wait for Clarke to elaborate. “Have you ever just looked at someone for the first time and feel this… Tension? Of course good tension, but I don’t even know if that’s the best way to describe the feeling, but do y’all follow?”

Octavia thinks and slowly nods, “I think I know what you mean, but I’ve never had that feeling by a first impression. Maybe after one or two dates?”

Raven thinks and then nods, “I know that feeling.”

Clarke and Octavia both turn their heads at Raven. “You do?” Clarke asked with a hint of surprise.

“Of course! Every single time I see a picture of the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit from Whataburger I get that feeling!” Raven said trying to hold her laugh in.

Clarke kicked Raven’s legs underneath the table which causes Raven to burst out laughing. Even though Clarke was really trying to have a serious moment, she couldn’t help but laugh along. _Should have known Raven’s one true love is Whataburger_ , Clarke laughs to herself.

Raven cleared her throat and took a sip of her drink, “But on a serious note, are you talking about soul mates? Cause I definitely don’t believe in that...”

Clarke frowned. Jake has always talked about soul mates and it was a great idea growing up thinking there’s someone out there that is her soul mate, but as she grew older, the idea drifted away. _Am I referring to soul mates?_ The attraction was immediate for Clarke because there’s no doubt Lexa is absolutely stunning to look at. There wasn’t a moment where she was love struck or anything either, but there’s undoubtedly a sensation that being with Lexa is comforting and it just felt… _right_.

“I don’t know guys… It just feels right though, you know? Like for some reason I trust her immensely and I just feel like everything messed up that happened in my life so far was all supposed to happen so that I could meet her. I mean, imagine if I had gone with Niylah to UCLA,” Clarke said disgustedly.

Raven made a disgusting sound as if she was mimicking vomiting, “Oh god no. That would have never happened anyways cause O and I would have knocked some serious sense in you.” Octavia nodded vigorously.

“I know y’all would have. That’s why y’all are my best friends,” Clarke said with a genuine smile. “I don’t know what I’d do without y’all.”

“Damn straight,” stated Octavia. “But really though, if you feel that way with Lexa, I say go for it. You miss every shot you don’t take right?”

Clarke nodded. Ever since she told Lexa about her intuition, she knew she was going to try. Even though they had only known each other for such a short amount of time, she can’t just ignore her feelings and be shy about it. She plans on embracing it. She just hopes everything turns out okay and she doesn’t screw anything up.

The girls finally decided to leave the restaurant and head back to Octavia’s. They didn’t feel like studying anymore so they said good bye as Raven and Clarke made their way back on to campus.

* * *

Lexa has been studying all day. She wanted to keep her 4.0 so she knew she had to do well on all her midterms. Tests are worth at least 30% of her grade in all her classes so she knew this is not the time to mess around. It does help knowing Clarke is equally as ambitious in her studies as she is. She remembered how Costia was never too keen on her studies and would always bug Lexa or complain that she studies too much.

Lexa would receive texts from Clarke periodically throughout the day. They wouldn’t engage in any seriously conversations because both girls needed time to themselves to study. They did plan on getting together and study for their political science and psychology class sometime this week. However, it was pretty weird to not receive many texts from Clarke since they’re dating now. She kept glancing at her phone throughout the day to check if Clarke texted out of habit. A part of her was slightly sad yet relieved. _Finally found a girl who understands_ , Lexa thought.

It wasn’t until around 4 in the evening when she finally decided to take a break. She’s been studying for 6 hours nonstop. She decides to go into the house to see what Anya and Lincoln were up too. She was surprised to see them both in the kitchen hanging around the island talking. All three of them are close, but it’s not very often when all three of them are home. _We all must be stressing about these midterms_.

“Strange to see all of us here while the sun is still out,” Lexa said casually which brought Anya and Lincoln’s attention to her.

Lincoln replies, “Not as strange to see you in the house during midterm season.”

Lexa shrugs and admits defeat, “I just thought I’d see what y’all are up too. I was getting kinda tired of studying to be honest.”

Anya was taken aback and looked at Lincoln, “Did we just hear that right? Did the studious one of the family just say she’s tired of studying?”

“I don’t believe my ears either!” Lincoln played along.

Lexa rolls her eyes, “Okay y’all cut it out. I don’t study ALL the time.”

Anya laughed, “Of course, we’re just messing with you.” Anya moved over to sit at the bar stool next to the island. “So, you about to go see Clarke or something?”

Lexa was walking over to the cabinets to grab a glass for water. She turns around and looks at her sister with a questioning look, “No… Why would you think that?”

“She hasn’t texted you to hang out all day?”

“No actually, she’s studying for her finals too. We actually haven’t really texted much today at all.”

Anya eyes widened and was lost for words, “Wow, really? That’s a complete 180 from Costia then.”

Lincoln adds, “Yeah, honestly, she was super annoying about that. I mean, you do study a lot, but the fact that she actually _complained_ about it or threw fits?” Lincoln said rhetorically and rolled his eyes.

Anya continues, “I mean, I get it, but I just didn’t like how she was passive aggressive about it sometimes.”

Lexa cut them off before they could add anything else, “Okay guys, can we not talk about her anymore. She’s a thing of the past and I honestly don’t wanna talk about her anymore.”

Lincoln quickly changed subject, “So Clarke, tell me about her. Besides all the stories we learned about her the other day, I wanna know what’s gotten you all head over heels for her.”

Lexa let out a small smile before quickly hiding it again, “I’m not _head over heels for her_ … She’s just… She gets it.” 

Anya and Lincoln both saw the little smile Lexa wore. Anya knows Clarke is a refreshing new start for Lexa. This was all she ever wanted for her younger sister. “Tell us a little more about her.”

There’s so much to tell, but she hesitates. They’ve shared a lot of stuff together, but she doesn’t really feel like it’s her place to tell Clarke’s story to her siblings. She doesn’t even know if Clarke is okay with anyone else knowing about her ex-fiancé.

She decides to just talk about the superficial things—family, her aspirations, and some moment’s they shared together. Lexa shared that she’s a single child, is somewhat close to her mom (because of her work schedule, mom and daughter time is very limited), and how she lost her dad at a young age. Anya and Lincoln both seemed very impressed when Lexa told them that Clarke wanted to become a doctor. Becoming a lawyer is extremely difficult, but becoming a doctor requires so much more determination, school work, and is so much more competitive.

“Mad respect to her. She’s going to be going to school for a VERY long time,” Anya commended. Lincoln nodded in agreement.

Lexa continued to talk about their fascination about Grey’s Anatomy and how they bonded for a long time recapping the many seasons and episodes. Anya made a joke about how Lexa finally found someone that shares her obsession with that show because she was tired Lexa forcing her to keep up with the show.

“Hey! 14 season is A LOT of seasons!” Anya argued.

“I know, I know, but I’ll no longer bother you about it anymore. It’s no fun talking to you about it anyways,” Lexa jokes. “But yeah, she’s pretty great. I don’t really want to share anything else cause they’re pretty personal and I don’t want to spread her personal life without her knowing. And don’t even try to sway me cause I won’t budge,” Lexa insisted.

“She sounds pretty great, Lexa. I’m happy for you,” Anya says sincerely.

“What about you? You and Raven are kicking it off pretty well,” Lexa pries.

“She was actually in the middle of asking me something before you walked in,” Lincoln said as faces Anya. “What did you want to ask me, Anya?”

“Oh don’t worry about it anymore…” Anya tries to detour the conversation.

“What? Just because I’m here you don’t want to ask anymore?” Lexa says with a raised eyebrow.

“What?? Of course not!” Anya snapped back. She sighs and finally spits it out.

“I wanted to know some good places to take a girl on a date.”

“You mean Raven?” Lexa says slyly.

Anya blushes a little, “Yes, Raven. She’s a pretty cool chick, you know? She’s not like the other girls I’ve hooked up with before. She actually has ambition and she’s actually smart. She’s an engineering student.”

“Is she really? That’s pretty impressive,” Lincoln says with a tone of surprise. “Not saying she doesn’t look smart, but Anya dating an engineer is a pretty big upgrade from the usual girls.”

Lexa and Lincoln laughs which causes Anya to retort, “Hey! There’s a reason why those girls were only hook ups! There was always a mutual understanding that nothing was going to come out of it. And you’re one to talk Lincoln! You don’t bring home the brightest girls either!”

Lincoln raises his hands up in surrender, “You’re right, you’re right! I’m guilty! But Octavia’s definitely above average. She doesn’t want to become a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer, but she does want to get into the field of criminal psychology. And I don’t know about y’all, but that’s some dark shit right there and not everyone can handle a job like that.”

“Criminal psychology? Really? That’s interesting. I should ask her about that when I’m studying with her later this week,” Lexa said truthfully. As of lately, she has been thinking about criminal law so she wants to ask Octavia what caused her to want to go in that specific field of psychology.

“So I know Lexa and Clarke are definitely a thing even if Lexa hasn’t admitted anything yet, but what about you Linc? You and Octavia exclusive yet?” Anya asks.

“We are,” Lincoln says with a huge smile. “I asked her out after our first date the other night. We have plans to go work out at the Rec a couple of times later this week.”

Anya and Lexa both give their compliments. Who would have thought all three of them ended up finding these girls who also happened to be best friends with each other?

“Speaking of the Rec, y’all still down to play intramurals next semester?” Anya asks.

Lexa looks at Anya in shock, “Anya, is that even a question? Lincoln’s finally in college. We’d absolutely dominate this year in outdoor soccer. Of course we’re still down!”

“Yeah seriously, Anya! You act as if we haven’t been talking about this my entire senior year of high school. And Octavia is down to play since she also plays,” Lincoln adds.

“I’m just making sure! With everyone’s relationships now, I don’t know if everyone was still on the same page! I’ll get the crew together and create the team. Let’s win another championship, baby!” Anya said excitedly.

“You know what I was thinking the other day? The homecoming football game is coming up in a couple of weeks, we should all go out and participate in the festivities and then come back for a barbeque. We haven’t used that grill in ages,” Lexa implies.  
“Look at you coming up with ideas to please your bae. I miss this Lexa,” Anya says with a wink.

“To be honest, I kinda missed it too,” Lexa says shamelessly with a grin.

* * *

It was Thursday afternoon and Clarke finally got out of her theater class. She starts to head over towards the library where Octavia and Lexa should already be at after their psychology class ended earlier. She checks her phone to see a text Lexa sent her saying where they were sitting in the library. When she arrives, she sees Lexa and Octavia engaging in a very deep conversation.

“Hey y’all! What y’all talking about?” Clarke says curiously as she walks to sit next to Lexa.

Before she answers, Lexa leans over plants a soft kiss on Clarke’s cheek. “I was asking Octavia about why she wanted to pursue criminal psychology. I’ve been thinking about criminal law and just wanted to hear why she decided to go this route.”

“Criminal law, huh? That’s pretty tough, isn’t it?” Clarke questions.

“Ehhh, it can be, but I’m not making any solid decisions yet. Still trying to figure it all out, but Octavia made some really interesting remarks,” Lexa informs Clarke.

“I bet she did. Octavia loves abnormal psychology. That’s all she’s ever wanted to learn about ever since she took psychology in high school,” Clarke shares.

“Come on, you mean to tell me that identity disorders or behavior psychology isn’t interesting??” Octavia justifies.

“Of course it is! It’s probably one of the most interesting topics in psychology!” Clarke defends.

“It really is. I met this guy in my personality psychology class and we literally talk about this shit all day,”

“Well, let’s talk about the introduction to psychology class we’re in together cause I don’t want to stay here in the library anymore than I have too. I’m pretty tired of being here now,” Clarke gets straight to the point. She has basically been camping out in the library after class every day studying and rewriting her notes. Her last finals are her psychology class and political science. Political science’s test is open online on Saturday so her and Lexa are taking the test together, but their psychology final is tomorrow at the testing center. 

All three girls dive straight into discussions about the different terminologies in psychology and the definitions of all the key words. It wasn’t until they’ve been studying for the past 3 hours did they finally stop and feel like they’re ready for the test. They’ll just have to refresh their memory tomorrow before their test. Since they’ve all packed up and are heading out the library, Lexa thought this was a good time to ask.

“So the homecoming game is coming up and I was wondering if you’d like to go to the game with me Clarke?” 

“I didn’t know you were a fan of football,” Clarke asks surprised.

“I’m a fan of all sports, but really I just wanna spend some time with you after these past two weeks of studying,” Lexa says smoothly.

“Wow, that was smooth,” Octavia butts in.

Lexa winks at Octavia and Octavia blushes slightly and rolls her eyes. “Hey, you direct those winks towards Clarke. I’m already taken by your brother,” Octavia teases.

Clarke clears her throat and replies, “I’d love to go to the game with you. Are Anya and Lincoln coming too?” 

“Yes, they are. So naturally, Octavia and Raven will be joining us. We were thinking everyone can come back to our place and have a barbeque,” Lexa adds.

“But it’s so cold outside!”

“It’s a morning game so the barbeque will be in the afternoon! And plus, we have heat lamps and the grill will be running, so it won’t be that bad. Come on! It’ll be fun!” Lexa persuades.

“Count us in! Clarke will be coming regardless of how she feels about the weather,” Octavia states.

“It’s settled then!” Lexa says excitedly as se plants another kiss on Clarke’s cheek.

* * *

Now that midterms are finally over, everyone at Polis University decided to enjoy to homecoming festivities. The crew didn’t go tailgate or anything because no one is a huge fan of Greek life. It’s mid October and the fall weather in Houston is perfect. Afternoons weren’t as excruciating and as the day progresses, the temperature would drop as well. Both the siblings and the girls got ready separately.

Clarke and Raven decided to go over to Octavia’s to get ready and they were all wearing some sort of red. Raven was wearing a red tank top with blue ripped shorts, Octavia was wearing her bold red shorts and a nice white blouse, and Clarke was wearing white shorts with a red crop top to show off some skin. All three girls are in the bathroom finishing their make up for the day.

“Damn, we look hot as fuck,” Octavia proclaims.

Raven says as she smacks her lips together as she finished applying her red lipstick, “Damn straight. Those Woods siblings don’t know what they’re in for.”

All three girls giggle as they apply their finishing touches. They all head out towards the living room and they see Jasper, Monty, and Bellamy messing tossing a football around as they’re wearing foam hands. Each boy has some kind of red or black paint applied to their face.

Of course, Bellamy has something to say about what Octavia is wearing, “Seriously O? You’re going to the game like that?”

Before Octavia can even counter, Raven beats her to it, “Blake! Give it a break! Your sister is hot as fuck. She’s dating Lincoln and she wants to look good for our homecoming game! You need to ease up!”

Bellamy looked like he swallowed something sour. He was trying so hard to hold back what he was going to say and he was so close to spilling, but Monty saved the day. “Come on bro, just let her do her thing. She a grown ass woman now.”

Octavia perks and stands taller. Raven starts to slowly shake her head and slow clap, “That’s my boy right there!”

Bellamy turns and looks at Monty is disbelief, but Monty just shrugs and says, “It’s true dude… And plus, I have a class with Lincoln and he seems like a pretty tight guy.”

Bellamy is defeated and he lets out a sigh, “Whatever… Y’all ready for the game or what?”

“Uhhhh, no…? Where the shots at?” Raven looks around as she heads over to the kitchen.

“Raven! It’s 11 in the morning!” Clarke insists.

“Ohh, don’t be a party pooper! What’s the harm in a couple of shots before going to a football game?” Raven say rhetorically.

Everyone seems to agree with Raven so Clarke gives in. They all take a couple shots of tequila before Clarke feels her phone vibrate.

Lexa (11:14):  
Y’all heading over yet?

“Hey! Lexa just texted! Let’s start heading over!” she says to Raven and Octavia.

“One more for the road! Come here, Clarke!” Raven instigates. Clarke is already feeling the 2 shots they took, but again, she doesn’t want to be the “party pooper” so she downs the last one and chases it with a bite of lime. The girls say bye to the boys as they head out the door. They’re going separately because the boys didn’t want to be the awkward single guys with the couples. Jasper specifically said, “I don’t want a reminder of how single I am.”

It wasn’t long before the Uber came and scooped them up. Clarke texted Lexa telling her they’re all on their way over. Even though they’ve been official for a couple of weeks, she still gets butterflies in her stomach thinking about Lexa being her girlfriend. She has the strongest urges to just be with her all the time 24/7, but she has to restrain herself because she doesn’t want to come off as clingy or borderline obsessive.

The Uber driver drops the girls off at the front gate of the Woods mansion and Clarke calls Lexa. Lexa hears her phone ring and she turns her phone over to see a picture of Clarke. _What the… When did she do this?_ She’s looking at big smile on Clarke’s face with her in the background. She then remembers this exact moment when they exchanged numbers. _That sneaky girl_ , thought Lexa as she swipes to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey Lexa, we’re outside the gate!”

“Oh! I’ll open the gate for y’all.”

“Thanks! I’ll see you in a second!”

Lexa walks over to Gustus’ office area and clicks a button to open the gates. She then makes her way over to the front house eager to see Clarke. When she walks out the door, she sees all three girls dressed in all different styles of red, but her eyes are only on Clarke. When Lexa and Clarke lock eyes, she sees a beaming smile appear on Clarke’s face. Almost instinctual, Lexa smiles back. As Clarke gets closer, Lexa is able to see all of Clarke’s beauty.

“You look absolutely beautiful,” Lexa says when Clarkes close enough and gives her a quick kiss on the lips.

“Look who’s talking,” Clarke says cunningly. Lexa’s wearing jean shorts with a short sleeve red button up. Her hair is perfectly braided to drape along her right shoulder and she has her pair of Ray-Ban’s Clubmaster’s tucked in her “frocket” (front pocket).

They all make their way inside and say hello to Anya and Lincoln. To no one’s surprise, Anya forces everyone to take shots before they head out to campus. Clarke limits herself to only one more shot because of all the shots she’s taken back at Octavia’s. It wasn’t long before they all decided to make their way to the football game via Uber. The entire car ride to the football stadium everyone was getting acquainted with the yells and chants throughout the game. It was Raven, Octavia, and Clarke’s first football game, after all.

When they finally arrived to the game, they entered from the student section and they all mutually agreed to sit higher up in the stands rather than the student section. They didn’t want to be around sweaty and belligerent men who had way too much testosterone flowing around.

“Sorry, Linc,” Raven banters.

“Ehhh, I understand,” Lincoln shrugs and laughs with the group.

They made their way up and found and area behind the field goal line. The game was already in the 2nd quarter since Raven insisted everyone take another round of shots before they left to the game. Raven and Octavia were both standing close to the railing chanting along with the students down below in the student section. Anya and Lincoln just laughed watching the two girls act like a fool. Clarke doesn’t know much about football and Lexa noticed short after they got settled.

“Have you ever been to a football game before?” Lexa nudged Clarke.

“Of course I have! But ask me what’s going on and I have no clue,” Clarke admits.

Lexa give a quick peck on Clarke’s cheek, leans in, and starts to explain the general rules of football to Clarke. Clarke listens but tunes out every now and then when she gets too caught up in the gentleness of Lexa’s voice. Even though the stadium is booming with whooping and hollering and chanting, everything around her is muffled as she listens to Lexa’s voice.

“You get it?” Lexa concludes.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah! Totally!” Clarke lies.

Lexa chuckles, _she definitely doesn’t get it_. Suddenly cheers erupted from everyone in the stadium and Clarke watches as Octavia and Raven fling their arms straight up. “WOOOOO!! TOUCHDOWN BABY!” Now everyone including Clarke and Lexa are chanting along with the student section and the band. Clarke looks over at Lexa as they both chant the ‘fight song’ together and she slips her hand in Lexa’s. After the cheering died down, they all sat back down half watching the game and half conversing with each other. Everyone watched the game together and for the rest of the game, Clarke and Lexa never let go of each other.

* * *

Everyone left the game at the end of the 3rd quarter because Polis University swept the opposing team. Besides, everyone was hungry and was eager to start the barbeque back at the Wood’s mansion. It was now late in the afternoon and the weather outside was still warm enough for them to not use the heat lamps. The siblings went inside to get the food while the girls were outside sitting around the gazebo.

“I didn’t realize our football team was that good,” said Octavia. “Or maybe the other team just really suck.”

“I heard we recently hired a new coach and he’s really turning things around,” Raven informs.

“I didn’t realize you were so into football, Rae,” Clarke says surprisingly.

“I’m not, but I over heard some upperclassmen talk about it during class one day and they seemed to know what they’re talking about,” Raven says as she sips on her beer.

Shortly after, the siblings returned and the grill was warm enough to start grilling. They had some music playing and everyone was having a great time. At one point, Anya started talking about how she’s the ultimate party game champion which started an uproar amongst the Woods siblings. Clarke wasn’t ready for what was about to happen.

“Yeah right, Anya! How can you say that when I’ve whooped your ass multiple times in beer pong!” Lexa challenged. Clarke has never seen Lexa get so defensive.

“Pssh, that’s only because I wasn’t drunk enough to play,” Anya defends.

“You seem pretty drunk to me now! Let’s settle this once and for all,” Lexa instigates.

Both girls rush inside to get all the materials they need for beer pong and right when they were about to start, Lincoln decided to make it interesting.

“Why don’t y’all make it more interesting by playing couples pong?”

Anya scoffs, “That no competition! I bet Raven and I can take on all of y’all!”

Lexa looks over at Clarke and she can tell Clarke by her body language she’s not confident at all. She walks over and grabs Clarke by the hand to pull her close and she whispers, “It’s okay. I’ll help you. Let’s have fun, yeah?”

“You better be a god because I’m not all that great,” Clarke whispers back. “But maybe you’re my lucky charm,” Clarke winks and walks over to the table.

Lexa smiles and follows behind Clarke. “Come on, sis. Bring it,” Lexa eggs on. Anya hates it when they call here ‘sis’.

“Ohhhhh, you little… It’s on!” Anya points at Lexa with a grin.

Anya and Raven dominate almost the entire game until the very end when Clarke and Lexa makes a comeback by making the same cup.

“Balls back, baby!” Lexa cheers.

Anya reluctantly rolls the balls back to the couple and removes three cups. They now each have one cup left. Lexa has been making a majority of all the cups and being ‘on fire’ at least twice. Even though Lexa’s good at pong, her ultimate weakness is the last cup and she’s worried they can’t win the game. She focuses as much as she can and she takes her shot and she hits the back rim of the cup. She breathes in and brings a hand to her hair, _Ahhh, fuuuuck!_ She turns to look at Clarke and decides to give some advice and encouragement.

“You’re doing great, babe. You’re aim is good, just remember, it’s closer than you think,” Lexa says quietly and steps away allowing Clarke some elbow room.

_It’s closer than you think, it’s closer than you think..._ Clarke may have been thinking too hard because it took her a couple of seconds longer. Lexa places a hand on Clarke’s lower back and leans in close enough and whispers, “Relax, Clarke. You got this.” Lexa removes herself again and she watches as Clarke releases the ball.

_Bloop._

Clarke squeals and pumps her hands in the air and Lexa rushes towards her and picks her up. Both girls are laughing and giggling as Clarke made the last cup. Anya rolls her eyes at the sight in front of her and interrupts the excitement, “Okay, okay. Y’all haven’t won yet! We still have redemption!”

Lexa puts Clarke back on the ground and wraps an arm around Clarke’s waist, “I’d like to see you make this cup, Anya.”

“Losers have to jump in the pool!” Octavia shouts.

Everyone looks at Octavia and Lexa snickers. “I’m down! Come on, Anya. Let’s see it!”

Raven shoots and misses and Lexa becomes all to giddy. She grips on to Clarke’s waist tighter as she anticipates Anya’s shot. When Anya shot, her ball hits the side rim and bounces out.

“WOOOOO! Take that, Anya!” Lexa shouts and picks Clarke back up again. Clarke giggles as she wraps her legs around Lexa’s waist and gets spun around. When the spinning stops, Clarke grabs a hold of Lexa’s face and kisses her. They kiss for a little too long and Octavia had to interject, “Okay, okay, cut it out you two love birds! Lincoln and I are up next and there’s no way y’all are beating us!”

Lexa puts Clarke back down and she has the biggest smile on her face. Clarke matches Lexa smiles and says, “You’re really competitive aren’t you.”

“Only when it’s against Anya. Sometimes I just have to put her in place,” Lexa says with a smirk and turns to look at Anya and Raven.

“A deals a deal, Anya!” Lexa says as she walks towards Anya.

“Seriously?? Lexa! That’s pool is cold as hell!” Anya pleads.

“Na uh! You lost fair and square! Your ass is getting in that pool!” Lexa banters.

“Ugh, fine!” Anya admits in defeat. Anya turns towards Raven with a devilish grin and Raven scoots away.

“Noooo. No, no, no, I’m not jumping in!” Raven desperately tries to get away, but she was too late. Anya wrapped her arms around Raven’s waist causing the girl to squeal and next thing you know Anya throws Raven in the pool and jumps in herself. Lexa, Clarke, Octavia, and Lincoln were all laughing when they saw Raven hurled into the pool. 

While the four girls were playing pong, Lincoln and Octavia were diligently working on preparing the food. Once the game was over, Lexa turned on the heat lamp as Anya went inside to grab towels for Raven and herself. They all sat around the picnic table laughing and talking away.

In this moment, Clarke is as happy as she can be. She has all her best friends and new friends around her and most importantly, Lexa. Everything is perfect. Which is why Clarke isn’t ready for what was about to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get a little bumpy!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Schools starting again and I work for a university so everything is... Chaos... And I know I mentioned before I'm updating this story every week, but now it might be every other weeeeeeeek?
> 
> But here it is! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Sorry for mistakes and I don't own anything.

Midterm week and homecoming was finally over. Clarke and Lexa both aced all their tests—duh, they’re smart cookies. They finally have time to hang out with each other and needless to say they enjoyed every moment. Lexa finally got the opportunity to see Clarke’s dorm. For some reason, she thought Clarke’s room would be messy, but surprisingly it’s very clean. Mostly because she didn’t really have much unlike Raven’s room. Lexa can tell she only brought the essentials though. _Smart_. She can’t help but think what her childhood bedroom would be like. She wants to see the personality Clarke’s room portrays.

Clarke and Lexa also got the chance to go out on their official first date as a couple. As if it was possible, Clarke thought this date was better than their date at Little Italy. Even though there wasn’t the glamor of the private balcony, Clarke enjoyed being in a public environment and instead of dinner they went out for lunch. They went to a small hole in the wall restaurant that served a variety of pastas and salads. They both enjoyed the company of one another and their conversation flowed endlessly. They talked about everything and anything. Their conversations went from a variety of TV shows to celebrity gossip to music to even politics.

The only thing that kept Clarke on the edge was the amount of girls who would constantly look their way, but specifically at Lexa. Younger girls, girls and boys their age, older girls, and even girls and guys who seemed like they were also on a date would constantly steal glances and bat their eyes towards her. Clarke couldn’t help but feel slightly territorial and out of her depth. However, she quickly stopped the negative thoughts because she had to constantly remind her that Lexa was the one who asked her out on the date. That she is the one who wants to pursue her. _Don’t make a big deal, Clarke. You can’t blame them for looking anyways_.

Lexa was also very observant too. Similarly, it really bugged her when she noticed guys who would constantly smirk when they noticed Clarke. It was as if they didn’t even notice that she was there. It made her blood boil when she noticed one guy making his way over to Clarke. She sat a little straighter which caused the man to look at her. Lexa’s glare was like shooting daggers through his heart and he was quick to recover. He made a huge detour and diverted his direction towards the water station behind Lexa pretending to get another glass of water. Lexa was so subtle that Clarke didn’t even notice her change in behavior.

After their lunch, Clarke decided to take Lexa around the area and show her the different street art. Clarke insisted on driving today since Lexa has always been the one to drive ever since they met. They found street parking and they started walking side by side down the street. Clarke was surprised that Lexa hasn’t see any of the street art or sculptures around Houston especially since she’s lived here all her life. This is also when Lexa discovered Clarke’s immense interest in art as well.

“You really like art don’t you?” Lexa asked Clarke.

“I do! In another life, I think I would have pursued the life of an artist,” Clarke claims.

“Why don’t you in this life? You definitely still can!” Lexa argues.  
“I know I can, but right now my number one goal is med school. Art is more of a hobby,” Clarke shrugs before she adds, “And plus, my mom would nonstop chew my head off if I told her that I wanted to change my major or career to become an artist. She doesn’t believe it’s a stable job and she doesn’t want me to have to struggle to make a living,” Clarke deadpanned.

Lexa stays silent for a brief moment. One of her unspoken pet peeves is when parents dictate their child’s future. Lexa’s parents are very successful attorney’s but they have never pressured her or any of her siblings to pursue the life they live. They always made sure they had options for any career as long as they had passion for it and assured them that they would have their full support. Every ounce in her body bets that if Clarke’s mother hadn’t been so adamant for Clarke to pursue the career of a doctor, Clarke would have become an artist.

“Well, who’s to say in the future once you’ve become established you can’t create artwork?” Lexa tries to instil in Clarke.

“True. I was actually thinking about painting again during my downtime. It’s so therapeutic for me and something tells me I’m going to be very stressed in the near future with classes so I’m going to need something to distract me,” Clarke says.

“Well, you let me know if you ever need a distraction other than art,” Lexa teases.

Clarke bites her bottom lip subtly. She can feel her cheeks get warmer and her heart rate slowly pick up. Clarke slips her fingers through Lexa’s and moves closer into Lexa’s bubble. She’s now facing Lexa face to face and she leans in to whisper in her ear, “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Clarke’s voice was slightly hoarse which was most definitely one of Lexa’s weaknesses. Before she could even comment, Clarke pulls away and Lexa’s see a huge grin on her face.

“Come on, there’s still plenty more to see,” Clarke turns around and starts to pull Lexa forward. They’re hands are still interlocked while Clarke leads the way. _What a tease!_ Lexa smiles to herself as she’s being led towards the next artwork. She slowly catches up to Clarke and they’re side by side again while their hands are still tied together. The weather is slightly chilly mid October and she appreciates Clarke’s warmth. They walk for another 30 minutes before they start to head back to the car.

After Clarke drove back to campus, Lexa and Clarke said their goodbyes. They both had things they needed to get done and Clarke has plans to spend some time with her friends since she hasn’t really been able to recently. Clarke walked Lexa to her car after she parked and couldn’t resist to land a kiss on Lexa’s lips when Lexa was next to the driver side door. Lexa returned the kiss and fell into a trance. Her back was against the car and she was quick to reverse the position and pin Clarke against her car.

What was supposed to be goodbye kiss turned into a heated make out session in the middle of the parking lot. Lexa links her hands with Clarke’s and brings it up to Clarke’s head. Lexa’s lower body is pressed against Clarke’s and she hears Clarke let out a moan in between their kiss.

“God, I’ve just wanted to kiss you all day,” Lexa mouthed into Clarke’s mouth which caused Clarke to deepen their kiss. Clarke can feel the tension building between them and she can’t take it anymore. She removes her lips from Lexa and moves to the side. Lexa is confused until she see’s Clarke open the door to her back seat and climbs in. Lexa grins and follows. When she slides in and closes the door, Clarke literally jumps Lexa. Their lips reattach, but this time with more passion and lust. Lexa wasn’t able to get settled before Clarke’s hand slides against her thighs. She quickly adjusts herself so that Clarke is now in between her thighs on top of her.

The groan and moan into each other as their kisses become more desperate and wanting. The heat in the car is starting to increase and Lexa wants nothing more than to touch Clarke. She pushes Clarke gently so that she’s now sitting on the other side of the car. She watches as Clarke slowly spreads her legs. Lexa unconsciously licks her lips and trails her eyes all over Clarke’s beautiful body. She lets out a little growl when she sees Clarke bites her bottom lip and she makes her move. Her body heat is rising so she unbuttons the top 3 buttons exposing her chest and she leans forward towards Clarke and starts to kiss and suck on her neck. Clarke moans when she feels Lexa’s wet tongue glide along her neck. She can feel her desire build and she needs more.

Lexa can hear Clarke’s breath start picking up and she whispers in her ear, “Tell me what you want, Clarke. I’ll do anything to hear you say my name.”

Clarke can feel the wetness building in her shorts and she slips, “Lexa…”

“Mmmm, say it again,” she whispers as she makes her way down Clarke’s neck to her collarbone. She simultaneously plants her hands on Clarke’s breast and squeezes just enough.

“Lexa… Touch me, please. My body’s on fire, I need you all over me,” Clarke exhales. Her voice is hoarse and she elicits a moan when she feels Lexa’s hand slide underneath her blouse. When she feels Lexa’s hand make her way towards the back of her bra, she arches her back and feels her bra loosen. Lexa’s hand immediately gropes her breast and teases her nipple under her blouse. Clarke’s back arches even more, pushing her breast into Lexa’s hand and closer to Lexa herself.

Lexa detaches her lips from Clarke’s neck and moves to connect their lips together. Clarke exhales into the kiss and leans in towards Lexa causing her to back away. Clarke places a hand on Lexa’s open chest and starts to move towards Lexa. Lexa moves backwards so her back is against the door and she watches as Clarke slides on top of her thighs. Clarke is now straddling Lexa’s thighs and Clarke’s breasts are in Lexa’s face. Clarke leans in and traps Lexa’s face in between her breasts as she grinds deeply into Lexa’s lap. Lexa groans and slides down just a little so Clarke can have more room. As she does so, Lexa starts to ride Clarke’s blouse up which prompts Clarke to take it and her bra off.

Clarke topless in her shorts straddling Lexa’s lap in Lexa’s backseat does nothing more than turn her on. She kisses Clarke and slips her tongue in which Clarke happily allows. Lexa’s hands both attach to Clarke’s ass like a magnet and squeezes it which causes Clarke to grind down harder and moan. Lexa starts to make her way down her neck, collarbone, and then her chest. She doesn’t waste any time and immediately engulfs one of Clarke’s nipples in her mouth. Her tongue is ravaging her nipple which causes Clarke to arch her back pushing her nipple deeper in Lexa’s mouth, desperately wanting more.

“Oh god, Lexaaaa,” Clarke moans out as she starts to grind harder into Lexa. Clarke is in a euphoric state of mind and her entire body is tingling. Lexa’s giving all her attention to Clarke’s nipples, but she gives one more strong squeeze on Clarke’s bottom before she slowly starts to move her hands down towards Clarke’s front. She unbuttons her shorts and she traces her hands around the outside of Clarke’s underwear. She then teases Clarke by slipping her hands underneath the fabric, rubbing against her skin around her hips.

She removes her lips and then attaches them back to Clarke’s lips. Clarke’s kisses are becoming more aggressive and sloppy and Lexa’s hooked.

“Tell me how wet you are for me, Clarke,” Lexa says while her lips are grazing Clarke’s.

“I’m so wet, Lexa. I can feel it soaking through,” Clarke says lustfully.

“Tell me what you want me to do.”

“I want you to rub my clit and then I want you to fuck me so hard that people can hear us outside your car. I want you to make me cum so hard that I see stars,” Clarke says hoarsely. She can tell this is exactly what Lexa wanted to hear because she immediately slipped her hand between Clarke’s folds and started rubbing her clit. Clarke’s hips bucks against Lexa’s fingers and Clarke’s mouth dropped in pleasure. Clarke’s breath starts to pick up and her moans are becoming deeper. Their foreheads are connected and Clarke’s hands are planted on Clarke’s neck.

“Oh god, Clarke. You’re so wet,” Lexa says in awe.

Clarke feels so good she can’t help but let out a moans and whimpers as Lexa rubs her sensitive clit. When she feels Lexa slowly make her way down her entrance, a whole new sensation ran up her spine.

“Yes, Lexa. Yes, please, fuck me,” she moans out desperately. Her entire body is on fire and she needs release. When Lexa inserts two fingers, she wasn’t ready for Clarke’s outburst.

“Ohhhhh yeeeesss! Yesss, Lexa you feel so good inside me,” Clarke says as she tilts her head back. Her hands are still planted on Lexa’s neck and Lexa leans in a captures one of her nipples in her mouth. Clarke’s breath is starting to get shorter and Lexa can feel Clarke start moving her hips up and down riding Lexa’s fingers. _Oh god this is so hot_ , is all Lexa could think in this moment.

“I’m so close, Lexaaa.. Dear god, you feel so good…” Clarke manages to say out of her mouth.

Lexa wants to make Clarke see stars so she pushes Clarke back and she slides her fingers out. Before Clarke can even realize what’s happening, Lexa has already adjusted herself and has stripped Clarke naked. Lexa has Clarke’s legs spread apart and has attached her tongue on Clarke’s clit drawing circles. 

Clarke moves one of her hands to Lexa’s head and the other is gripping on the passenger seat so tightly her knuckles turned white.

“Ohhhh fuuuuckkkk, Lexaa you’re going to make me cum.”

Right when Clarke thought she was going to cum, Lexa shoves two fingers inside Clarke again. Clarke starts to scream ‘fuck’ repeatedly and then Lexa can feel the walls clench around Lexa’s fingers.

“OHHHH YESSSS, LEXAAAA. I’M CUMMING!” screams Clarke. Lexa has never heard Clarke shout or speak this loudly ever before and she absolutely loves that she’s the one making her scream like this. She looks up and she sees Clarke’s mouth wide open and holding her breath. She feels Clarke move both her hands on top of her head and digs her fingers into her scalp.

“LEXA!” Was all Clarke could say before she feels herself climax. Lexa’s hands are trapped inside Clarke because of how tightly her walls have clenched down. She tries to circle her clit gentler and pump her fingers through Clarke slowly to try and extend her orgasm. When Clarke’s clit becomes entirely too sensitive, Clarke clamps her thighs together on Lexa’s head as she tries to move Lexa’s tongue away.

Lexa removes her tongue which causes Clarke’s thigh grip to loosen. She also slowly removes her fingers and she watches as Clarke’s juices slowly start to trickle out. She looks up at Clarke and her face is red and glistening in her afterglow. Her eyes are closed, but she still looks at Clarke as she slowly cleans her up. She playfully licks Clarke’s clit which causes Clarke’s body to flinch and her thighs and hands immediately tries to stop Lexa.

Lexa slowly kisses her way up Clarke’s stomach, in between her breasts, her neck, and then her cheek. Lexa hovers her face over Clarke’s whose eyes are still closed. She studies her face and is in awe—post orgasm Clarke is absolutely stunning. Clarke’s chest is heaving up and down as she tries to recover. Sensing those beautiful green eyes on her, Clarke places her hand on Lexa’s cheek and says without opening her eyes, “That was probably the best orgasm I’ve ever had, babe. I need a minute.”

_She just called me ‘babe’_. Lexa has never been super fond of endearments, but hearing Clarke call her babe was fulfilling and oddly satisfying.

“Take all the time you need,” she says softly as she starts to plant soft, gentle kisses on Clarke’s cheek, jaw, chin, and neck. 

After about a minute or two, Clarke finally opens her eyes and cups Lexa by her jaw and brings her lips to hers. This kiss was soft and endearing and packed with unspoken words. Neither girls try to instigate anything other than sweet, sweet kisses.

“That was amazing. I actually saw stars for a moment right before I came,” Clarke says to Lexa as their foreheads remain connected slightly embarrassed

“Like I said, you let me know whenever you need a distraction,” Lexa says cockily with a small grin.

Clarke moves her head back slightly so she can see her face clearly. “Lexa Woods, don’t think I can’t make you scream my name too.”

Lexa chuckles and kisses Clarke one last time innocently on her lips, “We’ll see about that.”

Clarke wants to prove her wrong right then and there, but Lexa stopped her before she could make a move. They both still have things they need to attend to before the day ends and it’s nearly five in the afternoon. Clarke pouts and Lexa kisses her protruding lip.

“I promise we’ll have plenty of opportunities to distract each other, Clarke,” Lexa says as she smiles. “You’ll just owe me one,” Lexa adds with a wink. They both start gathering Clarke’s cloths and Lexa watches as Clarke gets dressed.

“We’re lucky your car has really tinted windows,” Clarke says as she dresses herself.

“True, but tinted windows don’t muffle sounds,” teased Lexa as she wears a grin.

Clarke turns slightly pink. She’s not usually loud when having sex, but she just couldn’t help it by the way Lexa was making her feel.

“Do not feel embarrassed, Clarke. I liked it,” Lexa reassures her by interlocking her hand with Clarke’s.

Clarke wears a small smile and when she finally put her blouse on, they helped each other fix their hair. When they both are presentable, they piled out of the backseat. They gave each other one last goodbye kiss and said they’ll text each other later when they’re finished with everything. Clarke watched as Lexa drove out of her sight and right when she was about to head back towards the residential hall a car swiftly screeched to a halt behind her. When she turns around to see what exactly was going on, someone threw a bag over her head and a hand cover her mouth and another wraps around her waist. She screams, but she couldn’t get make a sound cause of how tightly the hand was around her mouth. She was panicking. She was kicking and twisting and trying to flail her arms to hit the person behind her, but nothing worked. Whoever this person was was strong enough to pick her up from the waist and shove her in the back seat of an SUV. When she heard the door close behind her, she felt the perpetrator next to her. She blindly throws punches in the direction of the kidnapper, but they were too quick and grabbed both of Clarke’s arms and proceeds to tie her hands together with duct tape. The kidnapper then gets out of the back seat and got in the driver seat and proceeds to drive away.

She didn’t try to shout anymore because she knew no one would hear her. The car was moving, she couldn’t see, and she was terrified. She didn’t know what was going on. It was barely 5 PM. How could this have happened?

“It’s okay, Clarke, you’re safe now. She won’t be able to hurt you anymore,” the kidnapper said eerily calm. What was even more nerve wrecking is… Clarke recognized the voice. Her stomach dropped and she felt like she was going to hurl.

“Finn?!” Clarke said angrily.

Finn laughed devilishly, “I knew you’d recognize my voice. Miss me?”

Clarke felt nauseous. She could feel the food she ate from lunch slowly building and she was trying everything she could not to hurl because of the bag around her head. Clarke’s past has come back to haunt her. She tried to use her tied hands to feel for her phone in her back pocket.

“I’ve already taken your phone if that’s what you’re looking for,” Finn says casually. “I figured this would be a good time to catch up since I just saved you from that dyke,” Finn says disgust. “I know you, Clarke. And I can’t believe that bitch would use you like that. You deserve so much better than her and I can provide that to you now.”

“I thought your family moved to New York?” Clarke say shakily.

“We did, but I applied to Polis University and got accepted. I didn’t fit in with New York and I wanted to come back to be with you. You’re my one true love Clarke and I know you’ll come to love me again too,” Finn says sadistically.

Clarke remained quiet. Her heart was beating 1000 beats per minute and she needs to calm down. She starts to breathe in her nose and out her mouth as calmly as she can. She knows Finn is a sick and demented man. And if he’s still the same person he was before, which she knew he probably was and if anything worse now that they’re both grown, she needed to remain calm and level headed. 

She knew something was wrong with him those many years ago when they dated back in middle school. He was such a charismatic and charming boy back then and by far one of the most popular boys in school. So when he started showing Clarke any type of attention she felt like she was special. They ended up dating and their relationship was perfect for months before she started to notice Finn’s overly protective personality. 

It wasn’t until the summer when they weren’t able to spend too much time together in school did she notice he started to question everything she was doing. He started to ask what she was doing almost every hour of everyday, where she was going, and who she was with. If he didn’t like what she told him, then he would start to guilt Clarke and make her feel like she’s a bad girlfriend. It got so bad that Clarke had to lie multiple times in order to keep her sanity.

One day, when she lied to Finn, he somehow caught her in the lie. And it was in that moment Clarke realized he had to have been stalking her in order to catch her in the lie. He started to catch all of Clarke’s lies and he became very manipulating. He ALWAYS knew the truth and he would always use it against her. He would know where she went, he would know who she talked to, he would know where her and her friends would hang out.

Clarke became terrified of Finn because she never knew where he was or if he was watching her. She was so terrified she didn’t know how to end things with him because she was scared he might do something to her. Then when she heard that his family was moving to New York because of his dad’s work, she was _relieved_. She felt like she dodged a bullet. She thought she was never going to see him again. Until now.

Clarke’s breathing returned to normal and she starts to think of how she could get out of this situation. She did text Octavia and Raven earlier in the day making plans to hang out at Octavia’s. She pleads to any higher power that her best friends realize something is wrong and to report her missing. She also hopes that Raven remembers Finn. Octavia wouldn’t know who he is because he was before her time and Clarke never mentioned him because she didn’t want to relive the bad memories of him. The only bad thing is, she knows the police doesn’t actually look for someone until the person has been missing for 24 hours or more. Her stomach drops again when she realizes that she might have to spend the next 24 hours holding on to dear life with this sociopathic man.

She holds back the tears that are attempting to run free and she takes in a deep breath and exhales slowly. _It’s going to be okay. He can’t hurt you. Just do as he say and hopefully nothing bad will happen_.

Next thing you know, the car came to a stop and she hears Finn put the car in park. She hears him exit the vehicle and then open the back door. She firmly grabs Clarke by her arm and yanks her out of the car aggressively. The hood is still on her head and she has no idea how long they were driving for. _Was it an hour? No, it definitely wasn’t that long. Maybe someone between 30-45 minutes?_ She hears some metal clanging and then hears what sounds like a metal sliding door being slid open. She then feels Finn’s hand on her arm again guiding her into what she is assuming is a garage. She heard the metal door slid shut and the metal clang again. She then feels herself being lifted up and thrown over Finn’s shoulder. She couldn’t help but let out a yelp at the sudden movement. She’s being carried up stairs and then was let down and pushed into a chair. She sits there not knowing what’s going to happen next, but she’s trying not to think of the worst.

Suddenly, the bag was ripped off of her head and her eyes were stunned by the lighting in the room. It took her a while for her eyes to readjust and when it did, she really felt like she was about to hurl.

“Nice to see you again, Clarke. I missed you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Sorry for those who hate it when people turn Finn into a villan, but tbh, never liked the dude, so... Not really sorry lmao
> 
> Lemme know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'm so sorry for the wait... Work has really picked up since one of my colleagues retired. Please note, I'm only 23 years old... My colleague is just much, much older than I am lmao. 
> 
> Secondly, I'm experiencing some form of writer's block.. I already have 4 chapters written, but I'm really conflicted on the direction I want the story to go. There's definitely going to be some hardcore editing and plotting the next couple of weeks, so please be patient with me! 
> 
> I promise I won't abandon this story because I really want to finish and I don't want to leave y'all hanging. But the next update probably won't happen for a while... Maybe a month or so? Please don't hate me.
> 
> Anyways, I decided to post this chapter so I can update y'all and let y'all know updates will happen a lot slower now.
> 
> So I'll shut up now! Enjoy!
> 
> I own nothing. Forgive me for any mistakes.

It’s around 8:00 PM and Raven’s wondering where the hell Clarke is. She was supposed to have been back at 6:00 PM and she hasn’t texted her yet giving her an update on if she was going to stay with Lexa longer than she thought of if she’s not wanting to go to Octavia’s anymore or anything. Which is very unlike Clarke. She texts Octavia letting her know that Clarke hasn’t come back yet and if she’s texted her anything. Octavia responds saying she hasn’t heard from Clarke either and that she’ll text Lincoln to see if Clarke’s over at their place.

Raven’s starting to get annoyed. Clarke hasn’t been acting normal for the past couple of days cause she’s always been hanging out with Lexa. Not that she really cares because she loves how Clarke has finally found someone that’s worth her time, who makes her happy, and whatever, but she has been a little more MIA recently in person and on social. _God damn, Clarke, at least give me a heads up if you’re bailing… Sheesh_ , Raven thinks as she feels herself becoming more and more irritated. She then hears her phone ring.

Octavia (8:26 PM):  
Lincoln says Lexa’s home, but Clarke’s not there.

Octavia (8:26 PM):  
He said Lexa left Clarke at around 5 and she said she was going to hang out with us later.

_What the fuck? That was 3 hours ago… Where the hell is she?_ She opens her phone and shoots Clarke another texting asking where the hell she is. She then decides to go outside to see if she can find Clarke’s car. Maybe she decided to get something to eat by herself? She walks out of the residential hall over to the parking lot. She spots Clarke’s car parked in the first row of the parking lot. _Where the fuck are you, Clarke?_

Raven’s phone starts to ring and she see’s it’s an unknown number. She ignores it because she doesn’t like answering phone numbers from people she doesn’t know. She starts to head towards the library to see if she lamely decided to study before they hung out. _Maybe she just lost track of time_. There really are just a few places Clarke Griffin goes to. 

When she got about half way to the library, she hears her phone ring again and she see’s it’s Anya calling. _Strange, Anya never calls_. She picks up the phone.

“Helloooo?” Raven says skeptically as if she’s never talked on the phone before.

“Where are you?” Anya gets straight to the point.

“I’m great! Thanks! I hope you’re doing well!” Raven says sarcastically. She can physically feel Anya rolling her eyes through the phone.

“Hi, yes, how are you, great, I’m great. Seriously though, where are you?” Anya says urgently.

Raven picks up on the urgency of Anya’s voice, “I’m going to the library to try and see if Clarke’s there. She’s not answering her texts and Octavia told me she’s not with Lexa and there’s not that many places Clarke goes to.”

There was a long drawn out silence. Raven had to remove her phone from her ear to make sure she’s still on the line. When she sees the line is still on she says again, “Hellloooo?”

“So she’s not with you or Octavia?” Anya asks conclusively.

“No, otherwise I wouldn’t be looking for her and we’d be chillin’. Duh,” Raven says playfully.

“Raven seriously, now’s not the time,” Anya deadpans. “You let me know if you find her in the library. How long do you think you’ll take?”

“Well, judging that the library is massive and Clarke could be anywhere, it’ll probably take me an hour or so to look through every corner of the library,” Raven reasons.

“Okay, you let me know when you’re finished at the library,” Anya finishes.

“Wait, what-,” was the last thing Raven says before she hears her phone beep signaling Anya hung up.

Now she’s even more skeptical now. Ever since she’s known Anya, she’s been very laid back and chill. Her voice always had a hint of fun in them, which was what really attracted Raven. Anya’s personality was able to equate hers and sometimes even challenge her hype. Not only did Anya call her, but her voice over the phone was nothing like the voice she’s used to hearing from the girl. She quickens her pace towards the library and starts looking for her best friend.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock_.

Lexa’s sitting in the living room of her pool house playing FIFA to kill time. She had finished everything she needed to within a couple of hours after she’s left Clarke. She sent Clarke a texting letting her know she finished and was waiting for her to text back.

That was about an hour ago.

_Maybe she’s just too busy having fun with Raven and Octavia and she hasn’t checked her phone_ , Lexa reasoned. She didn’t want to bother Clarke especially since Clarke hasn’t been hanging out with them too often. She didn’t want Clarke’s best friends starting disliking her for taking their best friend away.

When she heard the knocking on her door, she paused her game went to open the door. It wasn’t odd for someone in her family to come and knock on her door. Usually they would just send her a text if they needed anything, but they would occasionally come and see what she’s up to. She opens the door to see Lincoln.

“Hey Linc, what’s sup?” Lexa opens the door gesturing him to come in.

Linc nods and enters. “Is Clarke here?” he asks.

Lexa’s eyebrows furrowed, “No…? I left her at her dorm… About 3 hours ago.” She pauses momentarily to check the time. She then watches as Lincoln starts to text someone and she becomes slightly worried.

“What’s going on, Lincoln?” Lexa says firmly.

“Well, Octavia texted me to ask you if Clarke was with you, so I’m honestly trying to figure out what’s going on too.”

“Wait, why would Octavia text you if Clarke was with me? Clarke told me that she was going to hang out with her and Raven tonight after I dropped her off,” Lexa says concerned.

Lincoln and Lexa locked eyes and Lexa can tell they’re both thinking the same thing: _something’s not right here_.

Lexa goes back to the couch, turns off her PS4 and the TV, grabs a coat and her phone, and starts to make her way out the door. Lincoln follows her and closes the door behind them.

Lexa rushes inside the house and sees Gustus and Indra sitting in the living room watching the news.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Anya says quietly as she steps in front of Lexa’s path. “What’s going on? Why do you look like you’re on a mission?”

“Clarke’s missing!” Lexa hissed quietly as she tries to step around Anya. Anya doesn’t move, instead, she moves swiftly in front of Lexa again. Anya tries to keep her voice down so they don’t alert their parents of their strange activities.

“Come here,” she demands as she drags Lexa’s arm towards the kitchen. When Anya faces her with her arms crossed across her chest she notices that Lexa is jittery.

“Okay, tell me what’s going on,” Anya demands an explanation.

Lexa looks at Anya annoyed. _I need to go look for her. I can’t be wasting time talking to you!_ “I can’t right now Anya, I need to go and look for her!” Lexa rushes out. She again tries to step around Anya to the front door so she can get to her car, but Anya again, stops her. 

“Na uh, you’re not going out of this house like a banshee. You need to calm down and explain to me what’s going on. Right now. Otherwise, I am not letting you put yourself in danger driving on the road with your head cut off,” Anya commands.

“Lexa, she’s right. We need to think about this for a second before we take action,” Lincoln interposes.

Lexa takes a deep breath. She knows 3 hours has already past and it’s dark outside. She’s worried about Clarke’s safety, but she knows her siblings are right. She needs to calm down before she does something reckless. “Okay,” Lexa exhales. “So Clarke and I went on a lunch date today and we hung out afterwards. When we finished, it was around… 5:00 PM or 5:15 PM. I told Clarke I’d text her when I was finished with my errands,” Lexa pulls out her phone and checks her messages. “That was about an hour and a half ago. She told me she was going to be hanging out with Octavia and Raven after our date at Octavia’s, but then 30 minutes ago, Lincoln came and asked if Clarke was with me because Octavia asked.” Lexa took a big inhale and concludes, “That’s why I need to go and look for her cause if she’s not with her friends and she’s not with me, then where is she?”

Anya’s eyebrows are furrowed and Lexa can tell she’s thinking. “Did she maybe tell you if she was going to do anything before hanging out with her friends?” Anya questions.

Lexa shakes her head. “Do you have Raven’s phone number?” Lexa asks her older sister. She nods. “Let me have it, I wanna call her.”

Anya doesn’t ask any questions and gives her Raven’s number. She calls Raven, but she doesn’t answer. Her call was forwarded to her voicemail. She dials again, but she was forwarded, again.

“Oh wait, she doesn’t like picking up stranger’s numbers. Let me call her,” Anya remembers. Anya clicks on Raven’s phone number and brings the phone up to her ears. She hears Raven’s voice through the phone and tries her best to listen to hear Raven murmur through the phone. She listens as Anya and Raven converse. Seconds later, Anya puts her hand over the speaker of the phone and says, “She’s going to the library to see if Clarke’s there. Raven says there shouldn’t be that many places she could be. Do you know anywhere else she might be?” Anya whispers.

Lexa shakes her head. The only other place she would be is either her dorm or Octavia’s and she in neither of those places. Her nervousness is starting to rise and she can’t help but start pacing back and forth in the kitchen. She starts to think where Clarke could have possibly gone too. _Does she have another friend here that I don’t know about?_ Her thoughts were quickly cut off when she hears Anya finish her phone conversation with Raven and she hangs up.

“She’s searching the library for Clarke and she said it’ll take about an hour to search the whole building,” Anya informs the Lincoln and Lexa.

“Let me go help! I could help cut that time in half!” Lexa begs her sister.

“No, Lexa, I’m not letting you go anywhere. Raven can search the library. Meanwhile, try to think of anywhere she might be or try jogging your memory to see if she did mention something to you that you don’t remember.” Anya tries to give Lexa tasks to distract her from the potential missing Clarke, but it doesn’t really help. Lexa is still pacing back and forth and she feels helpless. She wants to go out there and drive around or go to the library. Anything besides just be here!

“Did you ask Raven if she checked for Clarke’s car in the parking lot? Maybe she drove off campus somewhere,” Lincoln adds. Anya didn’t ask so she quickly shoots Raven a text. Raven replies within a couple of seconds, “Her car is still in the lot.” Anya reads.

“Anya, I don’t like the feeling of this,” Lexa whispers. She’s terrified something has happened to Clarke. She feels like she’s responsible for losing Clarke since she was the last person that was with her. She should have made sure that Clarke got back to her room safely. She should have insisted that she can walk to her car herself. She should have made sure that Clarke has made it to Octavia’s place safely. All these thoughts are driving Lexa up the wall in emotions.

“Hey, Lex, it’s going to be okay,” Lincoln attempts to calm her down.

“You don’t know that, Linc. What if it isn’t?” Lexa retorts.

“How about this. We give Raven an hour to search the library. We follow up with Octavia and Raven to make sure Clarke is no where to be seen. If Clarke is still missing, then we’ll call Ryder,” Anya ends.

Lexa straightens out. How could she forget that she has an uncle who was an ex-detective and ex-military? She steps closer to Anya and Lincoln and repeats, “Then we’ll call Ryder.”

* * *

Clarke is sitting in a chair facing Finn. The person sitting in front of her resembled everything she hoped she’d never see again. Nothing about him has changed besides his facial and physique are now of a young adult. She can tell that he works out which explains the vice grip he had on her earlier. He has light brown hair that’s long enough to touch his shoulders and as much as she hates to admit, he actually looks _good_. If he had not just kidnapped her in the middle of the day, she would have thought he finally grew up and matured. But looks can be deceiving because his mind is still equally as demented, if not worse.

She can’t believe Finn is back and she cannot believe he kidnapped her and tied her hands together. She looks around and notices the walls around her are all metal. _We must be in a warehouse of some sort_ , Clarke assumes. She observes further to see the makings of what she assumes is Finn’s studio style bedroom. It doesn’t look complete as if he’s still planning on buying more furniture or still in the process of moving.

“Did you just move in here?” Clarke asks. She wants to try to be as civil as possible and try not to make Finn hostile. If he’s has the capacity to kidnap her, then he could definitely do many other things. Clarke’s stomach tightens just thinking about what he could possibly do. 

“I did. I told my dad that I was accepted in to Polis University and he bought me an apartment. But it never truly felt like my home,” Finn pauses and corrects himself. “ _Our_ home. I haven’t been able to furnish it much so I apologize for the mess. I’m trying to make it so it’s good enough for the both of us,” Finn smiles.

“The both of us?” Clarke questions.

“Of course! I love you, Clarke! We’re destined to be together. I picked out this place because it was big enough for the both of us! There’s even enough space for you to have a little art corner!” Fiinn walks over to the rail and points in a general direction downwards to the first floor.

“I don’t draw anymore, Finn. I haven’t drawn in a long time,” Clarke informs.

Finn turns around and his demeanor dropped. He rushes over to Clarke and captures Clarke’s jaw between his hand. “No! You will draw!” Finn shouts as a dark shadow dawned over his face. After a split second, his face returns back to normal and loosens his grip on her face to a gentle caress, “That’s what I love most about you! The way you draw with paint and charcoal is so beautiful.” As if something in his mind sparked an idea he stood up abruptly. “I’ll go buy you some supplies tomorrow so you can start drawing again! I’ll get you all the materials, just name it!” Finn says excitedly.

It’s true that Clarke hasn’t drawn in a long time. She hasn’t thought about picking up a charcoal pen to draw since middle school. Her drawings were always her dad’s favorite and after her dad died, her artwork wasn’t the same. Whenever she’d try, something always seemed off, but only to Clarke. Everyone in middle school would always praise her artwork, but Clarke always felt like something was missing. It wasn’t until she met Lexa did she feel like drawing again. She’ll be damn if the first work of art is drawn for Finn and not Lexa.

“I really don’t want to draw, Finn. It’s been too long and-,” before Clarke could finished she felt Finn’s strong hands squeeze her cheeks together again, tighter.

A darker shadow casts over Finn and he now looks completely evil. “You’re going to draw for me no matter if you want to or not,” he says sternly. He then shoved Clarke’s face to the side as he walks away.

Finns now walking towards an armoire. He opens it and Clarke sees a closet full of women’s clothing. Specifically clothing that looked similar to what she would wear. _God, he’s sick_. He brings over a change of cloths for her and laid them on the bed. He comes back over to Clarke and kneels again, “I’m going to remove the tape so you can change into your cloths.” He proceeds to remove the tape around her wrists. While he’s removing it he adds, “I love you, Clarke. But don’t try to leave. As much as I love you, don’t make me hurt you, so please. No games.” He finishes removing the tape and he looks into Clarke’s dark blue eyes and smiles big. Before he gets up and leaves, he leans in and kisses Clarke on the cheek. Her stomach shriveled to the point she wasn’t even sure she had a stomach anymore.

Finn starts to walk down the stairs and she’s now alone. She wipes off the disgusting kiss Finn planted on her cheek. She stands and walks quietly around the upstairs area. She sees a window and quickly runs towards it to try and see if she can see outside, but there was no luck. Finn had plastered the windows with tarp and she all she can see is darkness.

She begins to feel the walls closing in. She feels small. She feels completely hopeless and scared. She doesn’t want to be here. She doesn’t want to be with Finn. She’s scared what will happen to her and she’s scared of what Finn’s intentions are with her. She sinks down to her knees and she starts to sob quietly. Her arms are holding herself as she sinks further down. _Why is this happening to me? I don’t want to be here. Please, someone help me. I don’t want to be here_. Clarke hopes and prays her friends have realized she’s gone so she can just go home.

* * *

More than an hour has past and Raven still hasn’t contacted Anya. Lexa was able to remain calm for the mandated hour Anya instilled, but now Lexa is completely off the walls. Her heart is pumping so fast it’s impossible for her to sit still, so she starts pacing again. Lincoln tries everything to calm her down, but that does nothing but rile her up more.

“How can you tell me to calm down when my girlfriend is missing?!” Lexa shouts. They’ve relocated to Lexa’s pool house. She turns and looks at Anya. “I’m calling Ryder right now.” Lexa takes her phone out and finds her uncles phone number. She’s surprised neither Anya or Lincoln stopped her, so she taps on his phone number. It’s currently almost 10 PM, but she doesn’t care. She needs to get a hold of him. She couldn’t contain her adrenaline when she hears her uncle answer the phone.

“Uncle Ryder, I need your help. Please,” Lexa pleads.

“Whoa, whoa, Lexa. What’s going on? It’s almost 10 PM right now,” Ryder informs Lexa.

“Ryder, I need your help to track down someone. No one has heard from my girlfriend in the past 5 hours and I’m worried something bad has happened to her,” Lexa desperately explains to her uncle. He has to help her with this. She can hear some rustling through the phone and she hopes her uncle is willing to help.

“Lexa, it hasn’t even been 12 hours… Are you sure she not just-“

“YES! Uncle, please. I have a feeling something bad happened.”

There was a moment of silence and then a long sigh. “Okay, I’ll contact your cousin. He’s currently at the station and we’ll work together on this. I’m going to need you to get to the station immediately. You’ll need to get anyone close to Clarke to meet us at the station as well. We’re going to be questioning them,” Ryder says assertively.

Lexa lets out a sigh of relief, “Thank you! I’ll get everyone together and I’ll meet you at the station at 10:20 PM.”

Lexa turns towards her siblings and told them to contact Raven and Octavia. “Tell them to get ready right now, I’m on my way to get them and I’m taking them to the station,” commands Lexa. 

Anya and Lincoln both nod and start dialing Raven and Octavia, respectively. She rushes outside and sprints to her Lexus and whips out of the driveway. It wasn’t long before Lexa was at the residential hall waiting for Raven. She sees Raven rush over and get in. Lexa is so focused right now on the task at hand she doesn’t say anything to Raven when she enters her car. She’s waiting at a stop light around the corner from Octavia and Raven finally spoke up, “Octavia says she’s already outside.”

Lexa was snapped out of her focus and she nods her head. She then feels a hand placed on her shoulder, “She’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out.” Lexa couldn’t image how Raven was feeling. Raven and Clarke have practically known each other their entire lives. To her understanding, Raven doesn’t have any siblings either, so they’re literally sisters to each other.

Lexa replays what Raven just said, “We’ll figure this out.” She said it out loud hoping it’ll become true.

Octavia gets in the car and she starts talking to the both of them. Each girl is acting as a soundboard for each other—bouncing of possibilities of what could have happened. The more they talked the more Lexa’s thoughts went to a dark place.

“Let’s stop because this isn’t really helping with the nerves,” Lexa finally says. “I don’t want to think of all the bad things that could have happened to Clarke.” Lexa’s emotions are completely out of control like opening Pandora’s box and she doesn’t know what to do with herself. She looks at the time and it’s 10:18 PM. They’re about to arrive at the station. They sit at the red light right before the station and Lexa starts to prepare them.

“They’re going to be asking y’all a bunch of questions to try and get a clear picture of Clarke’s life. Try and think about anyone that might hold a grudge or anyone that might want to potentially hurt Clarke. Remember you’re not in trouble. We’re all just trying to work together to find Clarke,” Lexa finishes as she pulls into a parking spot in front of the station.

Octavia and Raven follow Lexa into the station and they immediately see Anya and Lincoln. Each sibling found their girl and gave them a hug. A tinge of jealously ran through Lexa’s veins. Lexa would do anything in order embrace Clarke again.

“Ryder’s in the back with Roan, they’re trying to locate Clarke’s phone, but it seems like her phone is off,” Anya says to the group. Lexa’s hands ball into fists and she feels like punching something or someone. Her jaws lock in frustration and rage. She feels someone cup her fists and she turns her head sharply and sees Octavia look at her with a soft expression. She softens a little and tries her best not to completely lose herself.

“We’ll figure this out,” Lexa repeats.

Lexa looks forward and notices Roan start walking towards them followed by Ryder. Lexa leads the group forward meeting them half way.

“Good evening everyone. I wish we met again under better circumstances, but let’s figure this out, shall we?” Roan says in good spirit. Everyone nods in agreement. Roan then steps back a little allowing everyone to view the man standing behind him. “Raven, Octavia… This is my father and their uncle, Ryder,” Roan introduces.

Raven and Octavia remembers him as the man who they first met at the mansion party weeks ago—the largest man they’ve ever seen. “I remember meeting you a while ago. Nice to meet you again, sir,” Octavia says politely and shakes the man’s hand. Raven follows suit.

“No need to call me ‘sir’. Please, call me Ryder,” he pleads.

“Everyone fall me to the back. We’re going to go in the conference room,” Roan announces. They all follow the father and son to the back part of the station. When they arrive in the conference room, they all found a seat and sat down.

Roan starts to conduct the questioning to everyone. “Okay, so tell me what happened again.”

Lexa starts off since she was the last person who was with Clarke. She explains their date and how everything seemed in the ordinary. Talked about their walk in the art district and then their drive back to campus. She told them that the last time she saw Clarke was when she drove away from the parking lot across the street from the residential hall at around 5:15 PM. She also shared that Clarke said she would have texted Lexa when she was finished hanging out with Octavia and Raven which queued Raven to speak.

Raven starts by saying the three girls had talked earlier that day and agreed they were going to meet up later at Octavia’s place after Clarke’s date with Lexa. The last text Clarke sent to both girls in the group chat was when she said she was heading back to campus with Lexa at around 4:30 PM. She mentions how she didn’t think Clarke showing up late was too big of a deal because she has been staying out later ever since she’s been seeing Lexa. It wasn’t until when it was about 7:30 or 8:00 PM when Raven said she started to worry. She continues by sharing how she tried texting her, went outside to see if her car was there, and then looked all over the library and still couldn’t find her.

The entire time Ryder and Roan were listening carefully jotting down important details to highlight the series of events. Roan glances at his watch and notes that it’s currently 11:00 PM. “Alright, thank you for all the information. And just to be sure, no one here has received any type of communication from Clarke in the past 6 hours correct?” Roan stands and asks.

Everyone shakes their head and Roan nods. “Does anyone know or remember if Clarke hasn’t gotten along with someone? Maybe in class or in the dorm? Or anything dating further back?” Everyone turns their heads and look at Raven, Octavia, and Lexa. They each take a moment to try and remember every interaction Clarke has had with someone, but it doesn’t help. Clarke is a sweetheart. No one could possibly dislike her. After careful consideration, the girls shake their head; not being able to identify anyone that could possibly have a grudge towards Clarke.

“What about any past relationships? Any bad break ups? Those can sometimes turn out to be the worst types of grudges,” Ryder speaks up. The only past lover Lexa knows about is Niylah and she knows Niylah is in LA playing soccer. Clarke has also told her that it was an amicable split and to be honest, Lexa doesn’t think Niylah would have the time to come back to Houston to cause this type of scene with Clarke. Lexa share this thought process to the group which everyone agrees.

“Wait…” Raven slowly starts to stand with her two hands placed firmly on the table. Her facial expression is dark yet conveys an epiphany. “Wait, wait, wait…” Raven starts to get really flustered and moves around her chair. Everyone is looking at Raven anxiously, especially Lexa.

“Raven, what is it?” Lexa says desperately.

“Oh my god, there is someone.” Raven says when she stops pacing and looks at Roan with her hands intertwined in her hair.

Lexa shifts in her seat uncomfortably. The anticipation is killing her and she feels like she’s about to implode. _SPIT IT OUT, RAVEN_ , Lexa screams in her head.

“In middle school, she dated a boy who was very popular and pretty, but he turned out to be a nut case and borderline psychotic or just down right crazy. He was really sweet at first, but then became very manipulative and controlling and stalker-ish… But… That was in middle school. No one holds a grudge for that long, right? People grow up, right?” Raven tries to downplay the thought for her own sanity. “And, plus, his family moved to New York in the seventh grade and we never saw or heard from him again.” Raven reveals.

Lexa’s head is spinning. If this man somehow or some way is back in Houston and if he’s already gotten a hold of Clarke, then she could be anywhere and in danger. Lexa jumps the gun before Roan or Ryder asks, “What his name?”

“Finn Collins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, please don't hate me. But an update will follow! I won't leave y'all hanging!
> 
> As usual, let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, I promise, no rape will happen in this story. I don't think I'd be able to write that content.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait... Work life, personal life... life in general is just coming at me at full speed.
> 
> However, without further ado. Enjoy!
> 
> I own nothing. Apologies for any errors.

Clarke couldn’t do anything besides change into the cloths Finn offered her. She tries to look for any way to escape, but every window has been locked. There’s nothing she can do, but be a slave to Finn. When she walks back to the open area, she sees Finn back upstairs with food. He’s sitting at the table and smiles when he sees Clarke return. He gestures for her to sit down next to him and Clarke hesitates. She doesn’t want to be anywhere near him nor does she have the appetite for food right now.

“Finn, I’m not hungry… Can we just talk about this?” Clarke tries to reason with him.

“Come on, Clarke. You haven’t eaten all day besides at lunch. I know you have to be hungry,” Finn motions to the seat again.

Clarke doesn’t move. _Oh my god, has he been following me? How does he know I haven’t eaten since lunch? How long has he been following me for??_ Clarke starts to feel nauseous again and she feels like she’s going to pass out. She can’t believe this is happening. She pinches herself on the arm hoping she wakes up from this treacherous dream. She feels like crying when she doesn’t wake up. She wants nothing more than to be back in her dorm with her friends hanging out.

“Finn, why are you doing this? What do you want?” Clarke tries to sound as firm as she can.

“Clarke. Sit down,” Finn demands. His facial expression turns dark and threatening.

“No. Take me back home and we can pretend none of this happened. Take me back and-“

Finn gets up from his chair. His expression still dark and he storms over to Clarke. Clarke puts her hands up in front of her trying to protect herself, but it was no use. Finn grabs Clarke by her golden hair and presses his face close to Clarke’s. Clarke’s breath hitches as he tugs on her hair and she couldn’t help but let out a whimper.

“I told you to sit down, Clarke. You’re going to do as I say. You’re going to be a good girlfriend and eat the dinner I had just took the time to make you,” Finn whispers to Clarke’s face. He then pulls Clarke’s hair tighter and starts walking towards the table. Clarke couldn’t do anything but follow Finn and she was shoved into the chair. She stumbles but was able to regain her balance as she held on to the chair. She watches as Finn walk around the table and sits back down. He glares at Clarke and Clarke sits down.

Finn’s expression then turns back to an innocent smile as if he just returned from the dark side of the moon and picks up his fork and starts eating the meal he prepared. Clarke looks down at the food and its just plain spaghetti with a tomato sauce. Clarke picks up her fork and starts playing around with her food. She really doesn’t feel like eating anything, but she doesn’t want to upset Finn again.

“So I see you’re still friends with Raven Reyes?” Finn interrogates. Clarke doesn’t say anything, but nods.

“I never liked that bitch. She always made you do things that weren’t good for you. She has a very bad influence on you,” Finn states. Clarke swallows the sour taste she has in her mouth. She wanted to give Finn a piece of her mind. Raven was the only reason why she was able to withstand his bullshit for those couple of months they were dating. She was practically a sister to her. To hell she’s a bad influence. Clarke ignores Finn and just keeps looking at the plate of food in front of her. 

Clarke briefly zone out and when Finn reached over and touched Clarke’s arm, she flinched and drop her fork on the plate. “Do not touch me,” Clarke spat instinctively. She looks at Finn in utter disgust. Finn’s face contorts into a terrifying smile. He leans over to Clarke and looks at her. She watches as his eyes trace every inch of her face. She feels exposed and she looks away. But then a immense force around her jaw, she was forced back to look at him.

“I can do whatever I want to you Clarke. You’re mine,” Finn inches closer and closer until his face is no more than inches away. Clarke watches as Finn’s eyes skims past every inch of her face before stopping to look dead in her eyes. He then lowers himself to the base of Clarke’s neck and starts to drag his tongue from the base of her neck all the way up to her temple. Clarke wants to die. Shivers run through her spine, her nausea intensifies, and her body naturally reacts. She slaps Finn across the face. Hard. Which causes him to turn his head and release her face. She wipes the disgusting wetness from her neck and face and stands up.

“To hell with that, I’m getting out of here!” She tries to run over to the stairs, but she doesn’t get far. Finn is already behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist and lifts her up. Clarke flails and tries to wiggle out of his grasp, but he’s too strong. She claws his hands with her nails so deep she knows she has to at least torn some skin off or drawn blood. She was thrown on to the hard concrete floor and she rolls. She felt a sharp pain in her right knee and she knew there was going to be a bruise from the fall. Finn stands on top of her and strikes Clarke across the head.

Clarke’s head is throbbing, her vision is blurry, and her ears are ringing. When she regains her senses she see’s Finn crouched over her with a finger pointed directly between her eyes.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but right now you’re making it very difficult!” shouts Finn. “I bought this place for us! I bought you all the cloths you’ll ever need! I’m going to provide for us which is more than that fucking dyke can ever give you!”

“Fuck you, Finn! I hate you! There’s nothing in this world you can do for me that won’t make me hate you! And that _dyke_ is a better lover than you’ll ever be to me!” Clarke says as she tries to fight Finn off of her. Clarke manages to swipe Finn in the cheek, but he didn’t even flinch. He then strikes Clarke across her face again, but this time a cut formed on Clarke’s lip. She tastes the iron from her own blood, but it does nothing to stop her. Instead it fuels her actions and she becomes crazier as her limbs start lashing out violently.

“Clarke! Just stop!” Finn is practically sitting on top of Clarke trying to hold her still.

“NO! Get the fuck off of me and let me… GO!” Clarke shouts loudly.

Clarke is in frantic mode. All she sees is red. All she can think about is getting Finn off of her and escaping from this god forsaken hell hole. Her mind is spinning so fast she doesn’t even realize the sharp pain in her right arm. Her arms suddenly starts to feel very heavy, her vision becomes blurry, and her movements seem to be moving in slow motion.

“Wh-aaaa duh yuu doo ta-“ was the last thing Clarke said before she noticed a needle in Finn’s hands and fell unconscious.

* * *

Raven, Lexa, and Octavia are still in the conference room. Ryder and Roan left to try and see what information they can find on Finn Collins. Anya and Lincoln offered to go buy some food for everyone and left. Raven has been pacing in the room all jittery ever since she mentioned Finn’s name and Octavia and Lexa doesn’t know what to do. Lexa wants nothing more than to ask Raven who this person is, but judging from how Raven’s pacing, she knows this isn’t good news.

“Okay, enough Rae. Please sit down or at least tell us who the hell is Finn Collins,” Octavia stood and grabs Raven by the shoulders. Raven snaps out of her bubble and looks Octavia and then over at Lexa. She then tilts her head up to look at the ceiling and deeply inhales.

“Finn was a guy Clarke _briefly_ dated in back in middle school,” Raven starts as she heads back to the table to take a seat. “Don’t think just because we were in middle school was he some cute innocent boy. Yes, he was very attractive. Yes, he was very popular and everyone at the time knew who he was, but it was all so deceiving.” Lexa and Octavia listen attentively as Raven unravels the story behind this Finn character. Raven mentions how out of no where Finn starts to give Clarke attention and how she fell for him super fast. “We were in middle school… Everyone thought they knew what love was,” justified Raven.

“They started dating towards the end of 6th grade and when summer vacation came around, that was when he… changed,” Raven says solemnly. “When they would see each other during the school year, he would always make sure to wait for Clarke after class or always walk Clarke to class. Which was nice and sweet, you know, typical boyfriend stuff. He practically made it known to everyone that Clarke was _his_. It wasn’t until the summer when I honestly felt like he went out of his way to wedge between Clarke and I’s friendship.”

Raven shifts in her seat to a more up right position as she continues, “Clarke and I hung out every single summer, but the summer after 6th grade was the worst.” Raven puts her hands on her head as she remembers the events of that summer. “Clarke would always come over bawling because of what Finn said to her. I remember she would show me their text messages and he was saying things to manipulate Clarke. Like making her feel bad for hanging out with me instead of him! He would even use her feelings towards him against her!”

“Then one day after Clarke when home after we hung out, I decided to ride my bike over to Finn’s house to confront him,” Raven’s voice tapered a bit.

“Rae, what happened?” Octavia says concerned.

Raven shakes her head, “It was awful...” Raven took a deep breath and continued, “I biked over to his house and right when I was about to knock on the front door, I heard something. It was so faint… I could barely make out what it was. So I walked around the side of the house to the garage and what I saw was absolutely disgusting.” Raven’s face transformed as if she just tasted something disgusting. “I saw a puppy tied to a pole… Muffled… As he started torturing it by lighting matches and burning the puppy.”

Lexa closed her eyes as she envisioned the demented actions of torturing an innocent puppy. She takes a deep inhale as she listens to the rest of Raven’s story.

“What was so fucked up was how _happy_ it made him. He looked like he was generally having fun and it was what he did on a typical Tuesday afternoon when his parents weren’t home. That little puppy was cry so loudly, but the neighbors couldn’t hear because he was muffled. So I left before I could see what happened with the pup because I just couldn’t take it anymore.” Raven shakes her head as the images and sounds flood back from her memories.

“Did you tell Clarke about what you saw?” Lexa asks.

Raven nods, “I went straight to Clarke and told her. She couldn’t believe what I told her and she kept denying how Finn could never do such a thing. Somehow, I managed to talk some sense into her and made her realize that I have no reason to lie about such a heinous thing. We both talked about how Clarke was going to break up with Finn, but we both were so scared about how he would react.”

“So how did they end up breaking up?” Lexa asks curiously.

“Well, technically… They didn’t,” Raven says hesitantly.

Lexa was thrown off, “What do you mean?”

“Of course the relationship was over in Clarke’s eyes because of what I told her. But the thing is…We never got the chance to confront him and break up with him. The next day, Clarke received a phone call from Finn saying that his family is moving to New York because of work and Clarke just left it like that,” Raven shrugs.

“Wait, so you mean… In Finn’s demented, fucked up little brain of his, he thinks Clarke and him are still dating?” Octavia says seriously.

“Well, if we’re talking about his fucked up little brain, then to some capacity, yeah, maybe. Clarke and I saw it as a sign though. The fact that he left right before she was about to break up with him; she dodged a major bullet with that one,” Raven concludes.

“Why didn’t Clarke mention this to me?” Lexa says quietly.

“It’s not something we like to talk about, Lexa. That was a really, _really_ dark time for the both of us. She probably didn’t want to relive that trauma,” Raven defends.

Lexa shakes her head, “I know... I understand. I just wished that I knew so I could have… I don’t know…” Lexa says hopelessly.

Octavia shifts towards Lexa, “I know how you feel. I wish I could have known just so I could have kept an extra eye out for her.”

Lexa nods. She wants to keep Clarke safe. It didn’t take Lexa long to realize that Clarke is the light at the end of the tunnel for her. Lexa knows if given the chance, her feelings for Clarke will grow into something beautiful. And to think that her light may be ousted is making her blood boil. She’s willing to do anything to protect Clarke and to keep her safe and she already feels like she’s failed her.

Shortly after, Lincoln and Anya return with food. It’s already 2:00 in the morning and everyone is still at the station waiting for any update or information regarding the whereabouts of Finn. It wasn’t until nearly 3:00 in the morning when a woman in her mid-thirties comes barging in the conference room.

The woman looks around frantically at everyone sitting around and her eyes finally land on Raven and Octavia. “RAVEN! OCTAVIA! WHERE’S CLARKE? WHAT’S HAPPENED TO HER?!” shouts the woman. It doesn’t take much for the Woods siblings to realize this has to be Clarke’s mother. She was still in her scrubs from the hospital.

“Mrs. Griffin, please, sit down. We’ve got some information,” Ryder says as he enters the room followed by Roan.

Mrs. Griffin turns on her heels and walks towards Ryder. She puts one hand on his shoulder and another on her mouth. She looks like she’s about to start crying from fear and anger. “Where is she?? What’s happened??” she asks franticly. Ryder holds her by her elbows as he looks into her eyes, “Unfortunately, we have not found her location yet, but I can assure you the team we have assembled is the best of the best and they’re working really hard right now to try and locate your daughter.”

That was the breaking point for Mrs. Griffin as she starts to break down in tears in front of everyone. Raven was the first to get up and run to her side to take over for Ryder. Mrs. Griffin falls into the embrace of Raven as Raven leads her to an empty seat next to her. Octavia runs to grab her a cup of water as everyone else looks towards Ryder for an update.

“Ryder, is there anything information you’ve found that’s helpful?” Lexa stands and asks her uncle.

“Yes, we were able to find footage of Clarke’s last whereabouts in the parking lot.” Roan walks over with a tablet and places it on the table and clicks play. Everyone watches as Clarke watches Lexa drive away. When Lexa’s car is out of the frame, Clarke starts to head towards the residential hall. That was when a SUV whips out of the corner of the frame and they all watch as the man gets out of his car, covers Clarke’s mouth, and lifts her into the backseat of the SUV. The entire interaction lasted no more than one minute and the SUV drives off in the opposite direction of where Lexa drove.

“We are currently running the plates on the car. We are also using the suspects cellphone number to try and triangulate his location, but we haven’t been able to trace it for the past couple of hours. We have people constantly scanning the greater Houston area for any hits,” Ryder informs everyone.

“What about Clarke’s phone? Have you been able to trace it?” Anya asks.

Roan shakes his head, “We haven’t been able to trace her phone either. It’s more than likely the suspect turned off both phones immediately after grabbing her.” After a short pause, Roan continues, “However, we were able to triangulate her last known location on I-10 going west bound.”

Lincoln adds, “Well that doesn’t really help narrow down anything… He could have gone anywhere in that direction.”

“We’re currently monitoring Finn’s bank accounts. If he ever uses it, we’ll be able to dispatch officers to that location ASAP,” Roan adds.

“We’ve also sent officers to Finn’s known address in our database, but he no longer stays at that residence. Has he ever made any contact with any of y’all?” Ryder asks as he slides a photo of Finn on the table.

Everyone takes a good look at the photo and everyone shakes their head. Lexa studies the man’s face a little while longer; engraving every detail in her mind as she secretly images pummeling his face until he’s unrecognizable.

“Finn? Finn Collins? That’s who took Clarke?” Clarke’s mother says as she stands up and grabs the photo. “I thought he moved to New York with his family? What is he doing back in Houston?”

“He’s a student at Polis University along with everyone else,” Ryder informs the recovering mother.

“Wait, WHAT?!” Raven snaps her head up, stands next to Mrs. Griffin, and looks at Ryder. “He _ATTENDS_ Polis??”

Ryder nods, “This is his freshman year. He was admitted on a full academic scholarship.”

Raven’s face drops and plumps back in her seat—defeated. A nightmare come true.

Mrs. Griffin tries to gather herself in her seat in utter disbelief as she tries to gather herself again. She doesn’t know the specifics behind what exactly happened between Finn and Clarke when they were younger, but judging from Raven’s expression, she knows it can’t be good. 

“We will come back in a couple of hours with more updates. But I recommend everyone going home and getting some rest. I understand everyone wants to be here for Clarke, but I can assure you we will be working all night until we find her,” Ryder assures the group.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep anyways,” Lexa says.

A ripple of “same” echoed through the room. Mrs. Griffin is touched by her daughter’s friends and thank them for sticking together for Clarke.

“If y’all insist, I can ask some of the officers to bring some pillows and blankets for y’all. Try and get some shut eye because it’s going to be a long night,” Roan offers.

Both Lexa’s uncle and cousin head back out to continue their work as everyone stays huddled in the conference room. Lexa thinks about Clarke. She hopes and prays she’s okay. She hates just sitting here, waiting, and not being able to do anything. She wants to jump in her car look for Clarke, but Houston is huge and there’s no way she’d be able to find her in a city so massive. 

There’s so many emotions she’s feeling. Terrified she won’t ever find Clarke. Worried Clarke is hurt and scared. Horrified she won’t ever see Clarke again. And god forbid, something unimaginable happens to Clarke.

All she wants to do is make all of Clarke’s suffering disappear. She wishes she knew where Clarke is so she can go over and beat the life out of Finn and tell Clarke everything’s going to be okay.

“I know Raven and Octavia, but I haven’t met the three of y’all before. I’m Clarke’s mother, Abby,” Abby says as she looks over to the three siblings.

“I’m Lexa Woods.” Lexa then looks over to her siblings and continues, “And this is Anya and Lincoln Woods. We’re friends of Clarke, Raven, and Octavia from Polis University,” Lexa says formally.

“Wait, Woods? As in the Woods family who _founded_ Polis University?” Abby says with her mouth open.

“Something like that,” Lexa says modestly.

“Wow, that’s amazing. How did everyone meet?” Abby begins a conversation amongst everyone. She learned the G-rated version about how everyone met because everyone had a mutual understanding that they should omit the fact that they all met at a party. Everyone enjoyed the memories altogether as they relived the moments on how they first met. Everyone shared their side of the story from that night and despite the situation there was laughter here and there.

Hours have gone by and it wasn’t long before someone succumbed to the drowsiness. It was Lincoln that was the first to pass out and then it was Octavia. Anya tried her hardest to stay up and support Raven, but Raven eventually encouraged Anya to go sleep. It was only Abby, Raven, and Lexa who were awake now. Abby knew why Raven was insisting not to fall asleep because Clarke is basically a sister to Raven and she had a feeling why Lexa couldn’t fall asleep, but she wanted to poke Lexa.

“Clarke must be pretty important to you, hmm, Lexa?” Abby eggs on.

Lexa blushes a little. Throughout flashback, she didn’t once mention or insinuate her relationship with Clarke. She didn’t want Abby to worry about who her daughter was dating right now since Clarke is missing. She didn’t think this was the appropriate time to disclose their relationship especially since Lexa assumes Clarke hasn’t told Abby yet. But deep down, she can’t lie, “Yeah, she is.”

Abby gets straight to the point, “How long have y’all been dating?” Lexa doesn’t flinch at the question. _She’s not stupid. Anyone with their head above their shoulders can tell you’ve been a complete mess ever since Clarke went missing_.

“Almost two months now,” Lexa replies honestly. She continues, “I’m sorry you had to find out like this… I didn’t image us meeting under these circumstances and given the circumstances I didn’t think it was appropriate to say anything.”

“Oh sweetie… I can tell you care about Clarke. I’m glad she has someone that cares about her so much and now that I know there’s someone that cares about her, I can rest a little easier,” Abby reassures Lexa.

“Hey! I’ve always been there for her!” Raven retorts. She’s been watching the exchange the entire time in silence allowing them to have their moment.

Abby laughs quietly to not disturb the sleeping college students, “I know Raven, but it doesn’t hurt to have more people look after Clarke. I mean look at this,” Abby gestures to all the bodies in the room. “I know Jake and I raised her right and I know she’s been nothing less than extraordinary, but I’d never image so many people would care about Clarke.” Abby hesitates, “Then again, I never image my daughter to be taken away by some crazy lunatic who I thought was Clarke’s friend until now,” Abby exhales. “But it warms my heart knowing there are so many people on her bench that’s willing to be there for her.”

Lexa smiles as she looks at nothing in particular, “Someone like Clarke deserves a deep bench.”

It was after that comment when the door to the conference room burst open. Lexa, Raven, and Abby stood up and looked at the two men standing at the door. Lexa crosses her fingers in her mind for good news. _Please tell me you’ve found her. Please tell me we have information to go off of_.

“We got a hit.”

* * *

Clarke groans. She moves her hand to her head as she slowly regain consciousness. _Oh god, this has to be the worst hangover I’ve ever had_. But suddenly she feels something constricting her wrist. She moves to see what is causing her discomfort and she heard clanking. She tilts her throbbing head up as she sees what’s holding her hand back and she sees her wrists handcuffed to the metal bedframe. _Why am I-_. Then suddenly all her memories flooded back and she remembers she’s living her nightmare. She tries to close her eyes and fall back asleep hoping the next time she opens her eyes, the nightmare will be over and she’ll be where she belongs—in Lexa’s strong arms. 

But, she’s not. 

Finn Collins kidnapped her and brought her to god knows where and is forcing her to be here with him.

Her heart rate quickens. She takes in slow and deep breaths and tries to calm herself and remember happened before. She lays deadly still as she shuts her eyes tightly to think of what happened. She remembers her trying to make a break for it and she remembers them getting in a fight. That’s when she remembers Finn hit her head, the throbbing pain of her head returns and the needle. 

“Good morning,” Clarke hears behind her as she feels a sudden warmth behind her and an arm slither around her waist. Her body reacts and she jolts away from Finn’s hold. She manages to turn around to face him and what she see’s makes her insides shrivel. He’s topless with only boxers on and he slept in the same bed together. The sight irks her and she immediately feels dirty.

“Clarke… Stop this foolishness,” Finn says with a somber look on his face. He looks like Clarke hurt his feelings and she’s completely baffled. _Does he really think I still like his crazy ass?!_ “No, Finn, you need to stop your foolishness. You can’t seriously believe after all these years you can just show up in Houston, _kidnap_ me, and then just assume I’m going to like you or even _fall in love_ with you _again_ ,” Clarke hisses.

“I saved you, Clarke. That dyke was just using you and you can’t see it! She doesn’t love you! She could never love you like I do! She’s disgusting and she’s poisoned you! I’d be more appreciative if I was you!” Finn says harshly. He moves closer and continues, “I can show you what true love looks like.” That was when Finn moves his hands to Clarke’s face and forces her to look his way. He leans in a kisses Clarke on the lips. There was nothing more disgusting. Clarke tries to move away from Finn, but her hands are both linked to the metal frame and she wasn’t nearly as strong as he was. She can feel the tears forming and trickling down her face as Finn forces the kiss. What was only a couple seconds felt like forever when Clarke finally manages to pull her lips away causing Finn to release her face. He has a disgusting smirk on his face as he looks dead in her eyes. He wipes away the tears streaming down her face and kisses her cheeks.

“Sooner or later, Clarke, you’ll realize how much better I am than that bitch and one day, you’ll thank me for it.” He says finally as he moves off the bed. She watches as he walks into the hallway down to the bathroom. Clarke curls up into a ball next to the metal bedframe and cries into her lap. She wipes away the disgusting slobber he left on her lips and wishes she could brush her teeth and cleanse the dirtiness of Finn off of her.

Finn returns with wet hair and a towel. She goes over to the dresser and starts picking out the cloths he’s wearing. When she sees Finn remove his towel she looks away. There is not one bone in her body that wants to see Finn naked. When she hears him make his way over, she turns her head further away from him. She hears her shackles unclick and feels her wrists drop. She scoots away from Finn and starts to rub her wrists after being confined in them all night.

“Go take a shower and I’ll be downstairs to make us breakfast. DO NOT try anything Clarke,” Finn warns. Clarke suddenly says, “I won’t.” Finn grins and says proudly, “That’s my girl.” And heads downstairs. Clarke decides to play smart and get on Finn’s good side for now. She wants Finn to trust her so she can find the perfect opportunity to attack him and escape. She showers and scrubs herself vigorously to remove any stench she has of Finn on her. 

She walks over to the armoire again and tries to find the most comfortable and active clothing she could find. She heads downstairs and sees Finn setting up utensils. She sees that he has already finished cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast. She sits down slowly next to Finn as they start to eat. They eat in silence for a while before Clarke breaks the silence, “You know, I haven’t had someone cook me breakfast like this in a while…” Lies. Even though Lexa’s not the best cook, she’s cook for her more times than she can count and her. “You might be right…” Clarke tries to sound as convincing and hopefully as she could.

Finn physically relaxes and exhales a content sigh. “I’m glad you’re starting to see it Clarke. I want nothing more than to love you and provide for you. I want you to live a relaxing and care free life.”

Clarke smiles. She tries her best to not show the fakeness behind the smile. “There’s nothing I want more in life than to live a relaxing and stress free,” Clarke says innocently. _BARF!_

Throughout the meal, Clarke has been stealing glances all over the warehouse. She noticed the metal sliding door that seems to be the only way in or out. She studies the lever and figures out how to open it. As she finished studying the mechanics of the lever, she glances back at Finn and notices he had just finished his plate. “Let me help you with that,” Clarke says politely as she stands up and reaches for his plate. Finn’s hand latches on to Clarke’s wrist. Trying to object, but Clarke insists and sweetly adds, “Why don’t you go put something on the TV? It’s been so long since I’ve been able to relax and just watch TV.” Clarke smiles while internally cringing.

Finn relaxes and smiles, “You’ll join me?” Clarke nods. “Alright then.” 

Clarke watches as he makes his way towards the couch, turns on the TV, and sits down. She walks over to the kitchen sink and starts to clean the plates. She looks around for any type of weapon. Anything hard and heavy or even small and sharp. She just needs something to be able to hit Finn hard enough and harm him enough so that she can make a get away through the door. She looks around and she couldn’t find anything. _God damn, why is everything so neat and tidy?!_ She finally turns off the sink and loads the dishes in the dishwasher and that’s where she sees it. A skillet. _Perfect_ , Clarke thinks.

She grabs the skillet quietly and shuts the dishwasher. Clarke starts stalking over to Finn on the couch. Finn hears Clarke footstep get closer and says, “Hey, do you still like watching the food channel cau-“

WHACK!

Clarke slams the skillet to the side of his face as hard as she could. Clarke stands there in shock for a couple of seconds with the skillet in her hand as she watches Finn sprawled out on the couch knocked out cold. _OH MY GOD, IT ACTUALLY WORKED_. She drops the skillet and sprints to the door and unlatches the door. The rising sun slams into her eyes and she’s blinded momentarily. The air still feels clean and somewhat fresh so she assumes it’s still early in the morning. Finn had all the windows boarded so she didn’t know if it was day or night. 

Clarke starts to sprint. She’s never sprinted so fast in her life. She doesn’t know where she’s sprinting too, but anything is better than the warehouse with Finn. She frantically looks around and notices there’s just rows and rows of warehouses around her. She’s running in zigzags through the warehouses in hopes of finding anything or anyone that can help her. The finally, she takes a random turn and she sees a street. She gets a sense of hopefulness and she starts to sprint faster than she ever towards the street.

Suddenly a force to be reckon with slams into her from behind. “OH NO YOU DON’T CLARKE! HOW DARE YOU DO RUN AWAY FROM ME! AFTER ALL I’VE DONE FOR YOU! YOU BITCH!”

Clarke struggles beneath Finn but her new sense of hopefulness gives her extra strength. She was able to shove Finn off briefly with her legs and she tries to get out of his hold, but she was too slow. Finn tackles again and Clarke was trapped underneath him. She tries to use her legs to keep him away as he struggles to get a hold of Clarke.

“I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS CLARKE! YOU FILTHY BITCH!” Finn spits venomously. He pins Clarke down so she’s on her back, face-to-face with Finn as he tries to control her. He uses one hand to try and control Clarke while the other reaches to his back pocket. 

Clarke starts to scream. She screams the loudest she’s ever screamed before and she doesn’t stop. Finn tries to cover her mouth to muffle the scream, but Clarke just shifts her head and takes another breath. While Clarke’s doing her best to try and keep Finn off of her with her legs, she tries to search for something around her to give her leverage. She feels something hard next to her hand and realizes it’s something she can grab. She doesn’t know what it is, but she wraps her fingers around it and slams whatever it is into Finn’s head, again.

Finn falls next to Clarke while he holds his head in pain. This bought Clarke enough time to get up and make a run for it. She sprints towards the direction of the street, but it wasn’t long before her vision starts to get blurry. She feels her body slowly getting weaker and heavier. _NO, no, no, no, no… when did he..?_ Clarke desperately thinks to herself. She tries her best to keep running. She’s so close to the street. Just a little more…

She’s almost about to pass out and her vision is so blurry that she doesn’t even process the red and blue lights flashing in the corner of her eyes. She collapses on her knees and she falls to the floor. She tries to crawl, but her body is fighting against her. Her vision was about to go dark, but right before she fell into the unconscious again, she hears the voice in her dreams. 

“CLARKE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to leave on a cliff hanger, but let me know what y'all think in the comments :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone. I hope you and your families are enjoying the holiday festivities. Sorry for leaving y'all hanging for a month and a half, but shit in my life went spiraling downwards for a hot minute.
> 
> Anyways, hope y'all enjoy! May the new year bring lots of joy to all.
> 
> I own nothing. Sorry for any mistakes!

“CLARKE!” Lexa hollers as she sprints towards Clarke. She slides to the ground as if she’s sliding back to home plate and turns Clarke over so her head is on her lap.

“Clarke… Clarke!” Lexa gently shakes Clarke, but she doesn’t wake up.

“SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE! **NOW**!” Lexa yells over her shoulder. She doesn’t even know if someone heard her. She doesn’t even know if anyone one followed her. All her attention is on one person: Clarke. She quickly checks her surroundings for the bastard that did this to her. She doesn’t see him. Instead she finally notices the plethora of police cars with their lights on. _Fucking bastard probably took off. Dammit_!

She looks at Clarke and she cups her face. She notices the bruised and cut lip. She can tell there are also some bruising on the side of her face and a huge bump on her head. She starts to scan and feel Clarke body for any other wounds or anything that needs immediate attention. She traces her hands down to Clarke’s and she sees some chaffing around her wrists. Lexa’s blood boils. _How dare someone treat Clarke like this_!

Moments later, Abby and Raven managed to catch up to Lexa. By the time they got to them, they were both severely out of breath. Without a word, Abby kneels down and starts to scanning Clarke like she Lexa did. Lexa watches as Abby puts her fingers on Clarke’s wrist and stares at her watch. She then takes Clarke’s temperature and leans in and listens to her breathing.

“Her pulse is stable, but weak. We need to get her to the hospital and hook her up to fluids. She should be fine, but I do want to keep her overnight for observation,” Abby prescribes.

Lexa nods and it wasn’t long before the paramedics shows up with a gurney. Lexa is holding Clarke’s hand the whole time; never once letting go. It wasn’t until the paramedics are about to put her in the back of the bus did Lexa have to remove her hands from Clarke’s. She stares into the soul of the paramedic and the poor boy couldn’t maintain eye contact, but one message was clear—he better take good care of her. He backs away and before she leaves Clarke’s side she leans down and whispers to Clarke’s unconscious body, “I’ll be there when you wake up, Clarke. I promise you I won’t leave your side. Be strong.” 

Lexa kisses her hand before she gently places her hand back across her stomach. She watches as Abby and the two paramedics get in the ambulance and drive away. Lexa turns to look for Ryder and she sees him in the distance talking to Raven. She strides over to them and over hears the middle of their conversation.

“...my men are still searching the area,” was all Lexa heard from Ryder.

“Y’all didn’t get him?!” Lexa says surprised and disgruntled.

Raven puts a hand on Lexa’s shoulder. “They’re still searching for him, Lexa. He couldn’t have gotten far. The first squad car that got here said they saw him run off that way.” Raven explains as she points off in a direction.

Lexa turns her body and was about to sprint off in the direction Raven pointed, but she was being reluctantly held back. Lexa snaps her head back to see who dares to stop her and she sees Raven using all her might to hold back Lexa with both hands.

“Lexa, please! Let the officers do their job! Imagine if something happens to you. How would Clarke feel if you’re not there next to her when she wakes up??” Raven tries to reason with her.

Lexa huffs and finally stops fighting Raven. Lexa’s so conflicted she practically has steam spouting out of her—Raven’s right. As much as she wants to go and hunt this fucker down, she can’t risk getting hurt or getting in the line of fire; she needs to think about Clarke and be there for her when she wakes up. But, man does she want to give Finn of piece of her mind.

Realizing she broke through to Lexa, Raven slowly loosens her grip on Lexa. “Also, if anything was to happen to you, Clarke will be at my throat,” Raven snickers shyly.

Lexa chuckles lightly, “You’re right…” She looks around and then sees Anya, Lincoln, and Octavia run towards them.

“The stupid police officer wouldn’t allow us to get out of the car! I had to threaten him in order for him to let us out! What happened?!” Octavia says frantically.

“Clarke was taken to the hospital and Abby went with her. There are search parties out looking for Finn,” Lexa says short-handed.

“They didn’t get him?! They better get him cause I’m going to kill him!” Octavia says vengefully.

“Get in line,” Raven says stoically.

“Not before I get to him first,” Lexa says in a commanding voice—her chin held high. Everyone backs down and nods.

“Why don’t y’all go to Clarke’s side. I’ll update y’all as soon as I hear anything about Finn,” Ryder says after a momentary pause from the group of friends. “I’ll get one of my officers to escort y’all to the hospital Clarke got sent to.”

* * *

_Ohhh god, my head…_

Clarke slowly opens her eyes and she’s blinded by the florescent light above her. It takes a while for her eyes to adapt to the brightness of the room. Her head is throbbing and her throat is parched. She tries to bring her hand to her head, but it’s not moving. She tilts her head down and discovers the reason why. She sees a brunette holding her hand while laying next to her bedside. Her heart quickens, _am I dreaming? Is this really Lexa?_ She tries to speak, but her throat is as dry as the Sahara dessert and she couldn’t get a peep out. She slowly uses her other hand and she gently trances her fingers through her hair. _Oh my god, this is real. I’m not dreaming. Lexa’s right here with me_. Her realization almost bringing her to tears. She clears her throat which causes Lexa to shoot straight up and that’s when the ocean collided with the forest again.

“Clarke! You’re awake!” Lexa shouts excitedly.

Clarke winces and she moves her hand to her head. She clears her voice one more time and finally whispers with a small grin, “Not so loud, Lexa.” Lexa wants to reach out and embrace Clarke and hold her as tight, but she can tell Clarke is in pain. Instead she picks up Clarke’s hand and plants a kiss gently on the back of her hand. She then moves to cup Clarke’s face. Clarke leans in to Lexa’s hand and feels her warmth radiating through. She’s still in shock that this moment is real. Both girls are smiling at each other.

“Mmm, Lexa? Can I have some water, please?” Clarke manages to say with her scratchy voice. She watches as Lexa moves to get water. She looks around the room and sees bodies scattered around the room. She sees Octavia and Lincoln leaning against each other fast asleep. On the couch next to them she sees Raven asleep with her head on Anya’s lap. 

Lexa returns with a cup of water with a straw and brings it to up to Clarke’s lips. She takes a sip and feels like a brand new person. Once she’s done, Lexa places the cup on the table at the end of the bed. Lexa sits back down and returns her hands to Clarke’s. After everything that’s happened, she finds extreme comfort in holding Clarke’s hand. She never wants to let go. 

“How are you feeling?” Lexa says quietly. Scared to wake the others or make Clarke uncomfortable.

“I feel like I just woke up with the worst hangover ever,” Clarke whispers as she chuckles lightly. But with every chuckle, she feels her headache get worse. She winces and moves her hand up to hold her throbbing head.

“What do you need? Just name it and I’ll make it happen,” Lexa tightens her grip on Clarke’s hand.

Lexa watches as Clarke removes her hand from Lexa’s and scoots away from her. Lexa’s momentarily confused, until she see’s Clarke pat the now empty side of the bed. Lexa smiles and she understands. She gently maneuvers herself on to the bed, careful to not make Clarke uncomfortable. She lays on her back and Clarke immediately nuzzles her head under Lexa’s chin and releases a content sigh. She moves a leg in between Lexa’s and moves her hand across Lexa’s chest to the opposite side of her neck. Lexa wraps her arm underneath the nape of Clarke’s neck and places her hand on her shoulder as tightly and gently as she could. She then moves her free hand on top of Clarke’s arm that’s draping over her chest. Both girls get comfortable and this time Lexa lets out a sigh.

They lay in silence—cherishing their reunion. Lexa starts to gently draw circles around Clarke’s shoulder and she feels Clarke hold her tighter. Lexa’s emotions are everywhere. She’s beyond happy that Clarke is back, laying against her chest, and more than anything—alive. On the other hand, she’s scared. She’s scared how Clarke was so easily removed from her life. She’s worried about Clarke’s safety. She can’t imagine having Clarke stripped away from her again. In this moment, she secretly vows to herself to always protect Clarke.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Clarke says so quietly that Lexa almost missed it. Lexa shifts and she’s now supporting herself with her elbow look down at Clarke. Clarke caresses the side of Lexa’s face, “Every moment… I just kept thinking about you. Being next to you was the only place I wanted to be.”

Lexa traces Clarke’s face with the back of her hand. She studies every single detail on Clarke’s face, engraving it in her memory. She was so concentrated on studying Clarke’s features; she doesn’t even realize it when Clarke moved her hand on her neck. 

“I was so worried…” Lexa whispers. Lexa’s head hangs low while the fear and worry flooded back to her chest. “I was so worried I had lost you when I just found you.” Lexa regains herself and looks at Clarke in the eyes. She uses her free hand to grasp Clarke’s hand on her neck, intertwines their fingers together, and moves it to her chest above her heart. “I promise you, Clarke,” Lexa begins. “I swear on my life that I will never let that happen to you again,” Lexa finishes.

Clarke shakes her head, “You don’t need t-“ was all Clarke managed to get out before she felt Lexa’s fingers on her lips.

“I do. Clarke, I don’t know how you did it, but in a short time you became the sun in my universe. I cannot thrive without you; I cannot breathe without you. You were taken from my world and even if it was just for less than 24 hours, I died every second you were away. My body ached for you.” Lexa continues, “My soul felt empty, Clarke. I cannot go through that again, so please, let me.”

Ignoring the painful throbbing of her head, Clarke crashes her lips against Lexa. She conveys how she feel through her lips and she feels whole again. The kiss started off heated, but then fell into sweet, gentle, and loving. Clarke weaves her fingers through Lexa’s thick hair and she feels a subtle wetness on her face. She pulls away and wipes away the tear on Lexa’s face.

“You are where I want to be, Lexa,” Clarke stares deeply in Lexa’s forest green eyes. “I don’t know what you did to me either, but all I know is you are where I’m meant to be and I’ll be damned if anyone tries to take that away from me.”

Lexa smiles and she wipes the single tear that tumbles down Clarke’s cheeks. They share sweet kisses again as they embrace each other. After their emotions settle down, Lexa lays back down and both girls are now laying on their side with their foreheads pressed together. Lexa’s hand is on Clarke’s waist as her other is cemented with Clarke’s. They lay there together listening to each other’s breathing until they both fell asleep in each other’s warmth.

* * *

A couple of weeks past and things were slowly but surely returning to normal. The worst was when Clarke first returned from the hospital. Clarke would experience panic attacks when she was left alone and she would often wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweat and start hyperventilating relentlessly. Lexa made the first mistake by agreeing to let Clarke stay in her dorm the night after she returned from the hospital. In Lexa’s defense, Clarke was insistent in staying and having Lexa go home.

_“Lexa, I’ll be okay! Seriously. What happened with Finn is a thing of the past and I’m not going to have the idea of him haunt me or control me anymore,” Clarke reasoned with Lexa._

_“But Clarke-“_

_“Lexa, please. I just want everything to go back to normal. And plus, Raven’s right next door and I’ll be sure to bolt the door after you leave. I promise you, I’ll be fine, babe!”_

The episode happened that night after Lexa left and Clarke fell asleep. Raven ended up sleeping in Clarke’s bed not wanting to leave her alone. Raven made the mistake of leaving Clarke’s side to use the bathroom. Even though Raven slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, when she returned she found Clarke curled up on the floor hunched over hyperventilating. Raven fell on the floor next to Clarke and tried comforting her, but when Raven touched Clarke, it seemed to make things much worse. She started thrashing and pushing Raven away. Raven tried everything she can to try and shake Clarke out of the trance she seems to be in, but nothing would work.

She tried to console her and hold her, but still… nothing worked. Clarke would just push Raven away and continue breathing heavy. She even tried the brown paper bag trick, but nothing would calm her down. Raven frantically called Lexa desperately at 3:00AM. Lexa wasn’t able to sleep because she was worried something like this would happen. So when Lexa got the call, she drove like a mad woman back to campus and ran up 5 flights of stairs and banged on the door. Raven opened the door and Lexa immediately bolted in Clarke’s room. 

Lexa’s heart broke seeing Clarke lying there on the floor. She tried to hold Clarke, but similar to what happened with Raven, Clarke just thrashed and pushed Lexa away. Lexa then took a deep breath and bear hugs Clarke. Clarke’s fighting Lexa the whole time while Lexa just keeps whisper calming and loving words in Clarke’s ear. Clarke even manages to elbow Lexa in the eye. Lexa flinched hard, but never let go of Clarke and continued to cradle her with a throbbing eye. After 5 minutes, Clarke stopped and started to relax. It took about 45 minutes to an hour to get Clarke to finally start breathing normally again and back in her bed. Lexa ended up staying the whole night holding Clarke to make sure she’s okay.

Ever since then, Lexa and Clarke both agreed to have Clarke stay with Lexa. Clarke resisted at first, but it’s hard to keep resisting when she looks at the unintentional black eye she gave Lexa. Then to be sure, Lexa and Raven teamed up against Clarke and she basically didn’t have a choice. At first, Clarke would only bring over a couple of things to Lexa’s. She didn’t want to feel like she’s suffocating Lexa. But as days and weeks went on, it was inevitable and she found herself having her own closet space at Lexa’s.

Raven and Octavia very frequently visited Lexa’s and they would all hang out. Since Clarke was around her friends, Lexa took this time to catch up on her studies, but she never dared to be too far from Clarke. Speaking of studies, Clarke was able to talk to her professors and explained why she wasn’t able to make it to classes for the past couple of weeks. They were all very understanding and offered Clarke incompletes for the rest of the semester. However, Clarke insisted that she was able to finish the semester entirely and requested the professors to extend the deadlines for her assignments until she gets back into the rhythm of things.

Lexa’s hanging out in the living room as she lets the trio hang out in the bedroom. Both Octavia and Raven were fascinated with her California king and basically kicked Lexa out of her own room so the three of them could lay on it. It’s been a couple of hours and dawn is amongst them. Lexa has been studying in the living room until she was interrupted by a knock on her door. She turns towards her TV where she’s has 9 images of every angle around the mansion and her pool house. Lexa had personally installed top of the line hidden cameras to make sure her and everyone living in the house was safe especially since Clarke is now staying with her. 

She sees it’s Anya and Lincoln and they’re holding what looks to be snacks. She gets up and opens the door and she was right, but she wasn’t ready for the skewers and marshmallows. She steps aside to let her brother and sister in the pool house.

“We thought using the ol’ fire pit and making smores would help break in the holiday season coming up,” Anya says cheerfully. The days and months have completely blown over Lexa’s head and she completely forgot it’s already December. With everything that’s happened the past couple of weeks, she’s been drowning herself in either her studies or Clarke’s well-being. Her eyes widen and she palms herself in the face.

“Holy shit, it’s already December?” Lexa exasperates.

Lincoln places a hand on her shoulder sympathetically. “It’s okay Lexa, it’s been a hell of a couple of months.”

“Seriously… It’s been one roller coaster of a semester so far,” Anya says defeated. “That’s why I figured smores would be nice right now. So Lincoln and I already got the fire going by the gazebo, we got the food all ready… We just need the people!” Anya pipes back up.

Lexa grins and nods her head. She walks back over to the couch and closes her books and laptop. She also turns off her TV and all three of them walk towards the bedroom. The sight in front of the siblings caused all of them to catch their breath. Octavia and Raven are both sleeping close to or on top of Clarke. Clarke’s laying in the middle of the bed on her back while Raven’s head rests on her stomach. Octavia’s snuggled up next to Clarke’s side with her head nuzzled underneath her chin. They all looked so peaceful and innocent.

“Who would have thought the three of us could get so lucky?” Lincoln says quietly with a smile.

Lexa smiles and her chest flutters. She couldn’t agree more. None of the siblings move as all three of them stand in Lexa’s doorway. Lexa secretly images herself years from now with Clarke. She envisions herself and Clarke walking across graduation; Clarke cheering for her and vice versa. She thinks about all the studying both of them will have to do for the LSAT and the MCAT. She thinks about law school and medical school. She imagines herself as a practicing lawyer and Clarke a general surgeon. She thinks how it would be like coming home to her every night and waking up to her every morning. She finally concludes, _I can imagine every aspect of my life with her in it. As long as she’s by my side, I can accomplish anything_. 

She finally snapped out of her trance when she feels Anya nudge her, “We really are the lucky ones, huh?”

Lexa smiles and turns her head back to look at the sleeping form of Clarke, “Yeah, we sure are.”

* * *

Clarke finally decides to return to classes after a couple of weeks. Her professors agreed to extend all of her assignments giving her all the time she needs. Clarke was able to finish all her assignments in a timely manner and now she’s back on track for her finals. Clarke thankfully has gotten better as the weeks went by mostly because she always had either Raven, Octavia, or Lexa with her even in her classes—besides Biology. But, Lexa was able have a friend in her political science class jot down all the notes she needs in order for her to be able to sit in Clarke’s Biology lecture. She was also able to use Anya’s old notes to help her if she needed it.

Clarke is extremely grateful for Lexa because she has been nothing but supportive and understanding throughout this whole process. She always reassured Lexa that she’s okay and she didn’t have to go to such extreme measures to make sure she’s okay, but secretly she was just being nice. Even though her PTSD isn’t as intense compared to before she’s still traumatized by how Finn was able to easily slip back in her life the way he did.

The only thing that Clarke still can’t seem to shake off is the fact that she constantly _feels_ like she’s being watched. She always thinks Finn is just around the corner or secretly watching somewhere since there was still no word of his arrest. She still hasn’t talked to anyone in detail about what exactly happened when she was taken. She doesn’t want to relive the moments where she thought her future was stripped from her. But she knows she has to at some point, it wouldn’t do her or anyone of her friends any favors if she didn’t share.

Clarke was able to make it to the end of the week and after her and Lexa’s last political science class together, she decides to take the leap.

“Can we get everyone to come to the pool house later? I wanna tell y’all what happened that night,” Clarke tells Lexa as they’re walking to the Lexus.

Lexa stops and pulls on Clarke’s hand forcing her to stop. “You don’t have to if you’re not ready, Clarke. You don’t have to at all if you don’t want to either,” Lexa says reassuring her.

Clarke shakes her head, “It does no one any good to with hold information…” Clarke suddenly has an epiphany, “Matter of fact, do you think it’s possible if we can meet with Roan at the station? I realized I haven’t given them my statement yet after all this time.”

Lexa hesitates and studies Clarke for a moment. She knows Clarke has to eventually give Roan a statement and he’s been asking almost every other day but Lexa’s been pushing it off until Clarke’s ready. She really doesn’t want Clarke to relapse into a panic attack especially since she hasn’t had one in a few weeks. Clarke walks towards Lexa and grabs both of her hands and places them around her neck while she closes in and wraps her arms around Lexa’s waist. She pulls Lexa in and places her head on her shoulder holding her tightly.

“I know you’re worried, Lexa, but I’m ready.” Clarke removes her head while still holding each other close and looks up into those beautiful and caring green eyes. “I’m ready, Lexa. As long as you’re there.”

Lexa nods and moves her head back to Clarke’s shoulder and whispers, “Always, Clarke.”

* * *

Lexa was able to set up the meeting with Roan the next day. Everyone was also able to make it to the station, including Abby. Lexa thought having everyone there is better than making Clarke having to tell the story twice and Clarke agreed. Clarke hasn’t been able to spend much time with Abby after the incident because Abby was in the middle of a clinical trial and her free time was even more constricted. But when Lexa contacted Abby, Abby immediately came to her daughter’s side and the entire crew of course was there for support.

“Hello Clarke. I hope you’re doing well?” Roan starts.

Clarke nods, “I feel better. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I didn’t know you were a detective.”

Roan chuckles a little hoping to lighten the mood, “It’s not something I like to advertise. People will sometimes act differently or shy away sometimes when they learn that detail about me.”

Clarke nods again, “I completely understand.”

Silence embraces the room for a moment before Roan gets straight to the point, “Well, I don’t want to keep you and everyone else’s time anymore than I need to, so why don’t we start from the beginning? Whenever you’re ready.”

Clarke takes a deep breath and then she feels Lexa’s hand slide on top of her left knee. She turns to look at Lexa and finds a supportive yet concerned expression. She smiles softly and nods causing the brunette to nod as well. Clarke begins to tell the series of events that happened in detail. Everyone was listening attentively especially when Clarke starts diving into what happened when they arrived at the warehouse.

“It seems like he’s been planning this for a long time. He had an entire closet full of cloths ready for me. He kept saying he was going to take care of me for the rest of my life. He didn’t really get the chance to elaborate on any plans or anything because I couldn’t control my outburst at times. He also kept making derogatory and hateful gestures and comments towards Lexa and Raven,” Clarke reveals.

Roan was listening while jotting down notes the whole time. He didn’t interrupt or ask questions giving Clarke the opportunity to finish the story before he starts to ask questions—until now.

“Did he mention threatening Lexa or Raven?” Roan interrupts.

Clarke pauses for a moment trying to recollect the conversations she had with Finn. She remembers Finn knowing about Lexa and mentioning Raven, but she doesn’t remember him actually threatening to hurt or harm either of them. “I don’t believe he made a direct threat,” Clarke says slowly. “But his behavior was erratic and very unpredictable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he would try something though,” Clarke adds. Clarke looks over at Raven with an apologetic look and she can read her expressions—a mixture of fear and anger. She then turns over and looks over to Lexa, but she can’t read her face. Lexa’s face is stoic as ever. Clarke’s noticed that recently. Lexa is still as ever loving and caring towards her, but something about her demeanor has changed.

Roan nods and quickly jots something down. “I’m sorry for interrupting, Clarke. Continue?”

Clarke continues the rest of her encounter with Finn. She mentions the syringe Finn used to knock Clarke out when they got in a fight and then waking up handcuffed to the bed. She talks about how Clarke managed to get away. After she finishes the timeline she mentions what she observed from Finn’s behavior. “His behavior was like a spectrum, but he was never in the middle. He was extremely docile and happy, but then like flipping a switch, he would go crazy. He would get really aggressive and then he would hurt me,” Clarke instinctively move her hand up to her head. The hematoma on her head as subdued, but a little bump was still there. “It was like one wrong move or if I said something he didn’t like, he would just snap.”

After 2 hours, Roan finally got everything he needed and he left the room giving everyone a couple of minutes. Everyone sat in silence for a moment before Raven spoke up, “I can’t wait for the cops to find his ass and give him what he deserves. If it were up to me, I’d kill him myself.” Raven gets up and walks towards Clarke, kneels down, and places her hands on Clarke’s knees, “As long as you got me, you’ll never be alone. I’m here for you, Clarke.”

Clarke smiles and reaches for Raven’s hands, “Thanks, love. You know I’m always here for you too.” Clarke gets up which causes Raven to rise. Everyone in the room agrees and gives Clarke words of affirmation and warm hugs. Clarke is too overwhelmed and she sheds tears of happiness. She doesn’t know what she’s done to deserve such loving friends.

Roan returns to thank everyone for being here and then faces Clarke, “You have a very brave soul, Clarke. Never lose it. I’m glad my cousin finally found herself a good one.” After Roan drops that, he tilts his head towards Lexa and gives her a quick wink.

Before Lexa can come up with a snarky comment back to her cousin, Clarke interrupts, “I’m lucky I found myself a good one.” Clarke turns in Lexa’s arms and gives her a gentle kiss right below the side of her lips on her jawline. Lexa forgets everything, smiles, and holds Clarke closer.

Ryder smiles, “We’ll be seeing the both of y’all at the family reunion in a couple of weeks then, hmm?”

Lexa rolls her eyes and she hears Raven make a peep. “What family reunion?”

Lexa uses her other arm and pats on Raven’s shoulder, “We’ll be seeing you,” and then she turns towards Octavia, “and you there.” Lexa laughs despite everything that unfolded in the last couple of hours.

Ryder’s eyes widened and then suddenly every person with the last name Woods starts laughing. “Well, well, well… This will be a very interesting family reunion!” Ryder chuckles and Lexa joins.

“What’s so funny about some family reunion??” Raven asks bewildered.

“Just you wait and see,” Roan says wickedly.

* * *

It wasn’t long before everyone went their separate ways. Raven and Octavia both asked if Clarke wants some company, but she insisted that they go and hang out with Anya and Lincoln. She doesn’t want to feel like a burden. Lexa, Clarke, and Abby were the only ones remaining.

“Hey Lexa, do you mind if I talk to my mom for a minute? I’ll meet you back at the car,” Clarke turns and says to Lexa. Abby and Clarke both notice Lexa hesitate for a moment before she gives Clarke a peck on the cheek and nods.

“I’ll have the car pulled up to the front. Take all the time you need, Clarke,” Lexa says soft yet firmly. Clarke watches as Lexa walks down the steps away and towards her car.

“She really cares about you, you know?” is the first thing Abby says. Clarke is now facing her mom and they both grab a seat on one of the benches right outside the police station. Clarke wavers a minute before she nods. “I know she does,” Clarke answers. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you to her before. It all happened so fast and then… Well, you know,” Clarke adds.

“I know, honey. If Jake was here, he would be all over you making sure you’re okay and probably transform into a hawk so he can always keep a close eye on you,” Abby jokes which causes both to laugh.

“Lexa reminds me a lot of dad,” Clarke in the midst of laughing. As the laughter dies down Clarke resumes, “Her mannerism, how formal and chivalrous she is, and how caring she is. She’s…” Clarke hesitates, but remembers she’s talking to her mom. “She’s perfect, mom. I really don’t know what would have happened to me if I didn’t have Lexa.”

Abby reaches out and grabs Clarke’s hand. She looks deeply in Clarke’s eyes and then closes the distance between them with a tight hug. They haven’t talked in a long time even before the Finn incident. They’ve both been very busy and they both understand each other’s commitment to their work or school. 

They embrace each other as if they were making up for lost time and Clarke misses her mom. “We should have dinner soon back at the house,” Clarke says as they separate.

Abby smiles and nods, “You should have Lexa come along too. I’d love to get to know her a little more.”

Clarke smiles back, “I’ll let her know!”

Both girls stand and start making their way back down the stairs and towards Lexa’s car. They both see Lexa leaning on the passenger side of the car waiting. Lexa and Clarke make eye contact and Clarke can see Lexa crack the little smile she loves so much. Abby suddenly stops, grabs her daughter’s hand, and turns her so they’re face-to-face.

“Watch out for Lexa, okay?” Clarke’s eyebrows furrow in confusion and she waits for her mom to clarify what she means. “I notice how protective she is of you and I’m glad she is because I cannot be there 100% of the time with you. But I’m worried no one is taking care or watching out for her. Make sure she’s resting and sleeping and keeping herself healthy.”

Clarke relaxes a little, “Don’t worry, mom. After talking about what happened today, I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.” She lets out a content sigh before continuing with a grin, “At least I know you like her. You never cared about Niylah like this.”

Abby rolls her eyes, “Oh please, Niylah has nothing on Lexa. Have you seen Lexa?”

Clarke’s mouth drops and she slaps her mom playfully across the shoulder, “MOM!”

Abby laughs hysterically while Clarke stands there lightly chuckling and completely flabbergasted by her mom’s comment. “I’m only joking!” Abby pauses for a second, “Kinda, but Lexa’s different and I think she’s really good for you.”

“Well, that’s one way to show your approval!” Clarke still completely clueless how to react to her mom’s inappropriate comment. Abby laughs loudly again. 

They both make their way down the stairs of the police station and Lexa moves to meet them halfway. Lexa’s completely confused after watching the mother and daughter’s interaction, but she still meanders her arm around Clarke’s waist and stands next to Clarke. She feels Clarke’s arms reciprocate and loop around her waist too.

“Y’all two are quite the couple,” Abby grins as she feels the energy from the two girls standing before her.

“Mmmm, Clarke’s the main attraction. I’m just lucky to be able to stand next to her,” Lexa smiles as she turns her head to face Clarke. Clarke can’t do anything to hide the blush that surfaces.

“Not according to my mom,” Clarke says quietly, but not quiet enough for her mom to hear as she turns to face her mom. Abby’s face turns slightly pink.

“Clarke Eliza Griffin! Don’t you dare!” Abby says as sternly as she can while blushing. 

Clarke laughs so hard she had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter. “Don’t worry, mom. Your secrets safe with me,” she says with a wink.

Abby rolls her eyes. She finally manages to say good bye to both girls and heads towards her car in the parking lot. Lexa turns to open the door for Clarke and then makes her way around to the driver seat.

“Soooo, you wanna tell me what that was all about?” Lexa says as she puts the car in drive.

“Mmmm, it’s a Griffin secret,” Clarke says as she sticks her tongue out at Lexa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon! I don't plan on stopping this story anytime soon and I think I may have finally navigated the direction I want this story to go, so hopefully it doesn't disappoint! Let me know what you think :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is having a good new year so far. Stick to those new years resolutions!...If you made any...
> 
> Life threw me a curveball and my toxic relationship with my roommate ex-girlfriend (yes...it was an awful mistake...learned my lesson) has finally come to an end and life is all dandy now.
> 
> Peak season for work has finally died down, so I will hopefully be able to write a little more now.
> 
> Anywho, without further ado, enjoy!
> 
> Sorry for any spelling or grammatical error... I was really trying to rush to finish this! Didn't want to keep y'all waiting for too long!
> 
> I own nothing.

Now that everyone has attended their last lecture, dead week is upon them. Everyone is studying for their upcoming finals. For Clarke, majority of her finals started during dead week, but since she’s been playing catch up with her assignments she found herself not having to study nearly as much as the others. Her last final is Psychology which was honestly her easiest class. She would just need to look over materials as a refresher. After dead week, she’ll have her last final on Tuesday with Lexa. On the other hand, majority of Lexa’s finals starts after dead week and her final’s schedule is nuts; she has two finals on Tuesday and her remaining two on Thursday. She’s already taken one of her Political Science finals with Clarke last week.

_Author’s note:  
For those of you who are confused, some universities end lectures before “finals season”. The week after student’s last lecture is called dead week. Majority of students use this time to study for their upcoming finals, but sometimes instructors also schedule tests during dead week. Why? I don’t know. But this was how my university ran things, so I’m going to stick with that. Alright! And now we continue :)._

Lexa and Clarke both had very similar study habits, which means they both didn’t like to study with other people. Lexa would study in the living room/kitchen area while Clarke would take over Lexa’s bed and fan out all her notes, laptop, and textbooks in front of her. Since it’s the Monday before Clarke and Lexa’s final tomorrow, Clarke requested Lexa to wake her up early when she goes on her run so she can study first thing in the morning.

“…Clarke…” Lexa whispers. Clarke remains as still as a log.

Lexa nudges her a little, “…Claaaarke…” Still nothing.

She learns in closer to Clarke and before she decides to wake her, she takes a moment to appreciate the goddess before her. Clarke’s face so relaxed, tranquil, and beautiful. Her golden locks of hair sprawled all over the pillow beneath her head. She’s laying on her side facing Lexa with one hand tucked under her neck and the other tucked between her thighs. They’ve been through so much these last couple of months. Lexa moves one lock of hair that’s fallen on her face to revel in the beauty of her girlfriend for one last time before she awakens her. 

She takes in a deep breath and exhales. She starts peppering kisses on her forearm beneath her neck slowly upwards. Clarke starts to stir a little when Lexa reaches her chin. She skips her ultimate destination to plants a kiss on her forehead which causes incoherent grumbles from the sleeping beauty beneath her. Lexa smiles, “Clarke, baby… It’s time to wake up.”

“Mmmm….f-mmm…mmmm.”

Lexa’s smile radiates more. She kisses Clarke’s temple, her cheek, and then her nose. “Come on, baby. You can do it. It’s time to wake up,” she says in between kisses.

“Mmmm… Five mmm min-mmmm.”

“Okay, I’ll give you five more, but then I’m waking you up,” Lexa compromises. Before she leaves Clarke’s side, she noticed a cute little smile appear on her face as she snuggles under the comforter and her heart melts.

Lexa gets up and gets ready for her run. She brushes her teeth and changes into leggings and a long sleeve athletic shirt and then pulls a quarter zip over her shirt. Since it’s getting colder outside she has to bundle up, but since it’s Houston, it doesn’t get too cold. When she’s all geared up and ready to go, she walks out of her closet to find the blond sleeping beauty in the same position she left her 10 minutes ago. She walks to her side of the bed so she’s behind her and moves her hair out of the way so she exposes her neck. She leans down and begins kissing her from the base of the neck all the way up to her jaw line.

“Mmmm, Lexaaa…” Clarke manages to croak out.

Lexa chuckles. “It’s time to get up, love. I’m about to head out for a quick run,” Lexa says between kisses as Clarke starts to turn to face her.

“Mmm, thanks for waking me up, babe,” Clarke says as she turns to face Lexa with the happiest smile and the cutest sleepy face Lexa’s ever seen.

“Anything for you. Now, get your cute butt up. I’ll start the coffee for you.” As Lexa was about to get up and head to the kitchen, Clarke reaches out and pulls Lexa back on the bed and gives Lexa a searing morning kiss.

“You’re the best. What would I do without you?” Clarke whispers sweetly.

“You’d probably hibernate until the end of February,” Lexa laughs and gives Clarke one last kiss. As she gets up she hears Clarke fall back in bed. She looks back and Clarke has already resumed her position in the bed all snuggled up.

“Clarke! If you’re still in bed by the time I get back, there will be consequences!” Lexa tries to sound stern, but fails.

Clarke peeps one eye open and wears a seductive grin on her face, “I’ll take my chances.”

* * *

Lexa had a lot of energy this morning and decided to push herself an extra mile. When she finally finished her run, she was completely out of breath, heaving, and sweating, but she felt rejuvenated. She walks around the house not wanting to wake up her family yet. She starts to take off her gloves and her quarter zip before she gets in the pool house and the cool air surrounds her body. The sweat from her run plus the cold air causes her whole body to feel like an icicle.

“Ughhh, this feels so nice,” Lexa says to herself. She stands outside the pool house until it became unbearable. When she finally couldn’t take the cold any longer, she enters the code and walks in the pool house. She didn’t start Clarke’s coffee before she left because she knew Clarke wouldn’t get up and she didn’t want the coffee to go cold. So she walks over to the Keurig and starts to brew two cups of coffee. The aroma of coffee filled the house and relaxes her. While she’s waiting for the second cup to brew, she walks over to the laundry room and tosses her quarter zip in the hamper. By the time she returned, both cups were ready.

She carries both mugs into the bedroom and like she predicted, Clarke is still in bed. She sets both mugs on Clarke’s night stand and she decided to not wake Clarke up just yet. She heads towards the bathroom and turns on the shower. She slides the bathroom door closed, strips off her cloths, and hops in the shower. 

She was in the middle of washing her face when she heard the shower door close and a warm body pressed against the back of her body.

“Look who finally decided to wake up,” Lexa says with a grin.

“I thought I’d invite myself since you didn’t invite me in,” Clarke says as she kisses along Lexa’s shoulder blade. 

Lexa turns so she’s facing Clarke, thinking quickly on her feet, “Think if it as one of your consequences.”

Clarke gasps, “ _One_ of my consequences? There’s more??”

“Of course! I’m not going to let you off easy!” Lexa says with a stupid grin.

“You always say that, but you can’t resist meeeee,” Clarke responds playfully as she starts to plant kisses along her collar bone. Clarke meanders her way up Lexa’s neck and starts to drag her nails down the back side of Lexa—Lexa’s ultimate weakness. Lexa shivers at the sensation. Lexa looks deep into Clarke’s eyes and sees the beginning stages of desire. Clarke’s eyes flash up to Lexa’s and then back down to her lips. She bites her lip and slowly starts leaning into to Lexa. Lexa starts to lean in and when she’s just centimeters away, Lexa removes herself from Clarke and skillfully switches spots with her so now Clarke is under the shower head and water is cascading down her hair.

Clarke squeals, not ready for the sudden change, “LEXA WOODS!”

By the time Clarke, steps out of the shower head and wipes the water from her eyes, Lexa is already half way out the shower with a towel half way wrapped around her body, “Consequences!” Lexa says as she’s giggling.

Flabbergasted, Clarke pouts and begs Lexa to come back in to finish showering with her, but of course, Lexa withholds. All Clarke could do is watch Lexa finish tying her towel and watch as she walks into the closet to get dressed.

When Lexa finished dressing, she walks out to the bedroom, folds the comforter into a little square and sets it at the foot of the bed so Clarke can have space to sprawl out and study later—something she’s been routinely doing for a week since Clarke takes over the bedroom to study. She takes her cup of coffee that has now become lukewarm (just how she likes it since she hates drinking anything that’s scorching hot) and walks over to the living room couch to start setting up her head quarters for studying.

Before she starts studying, she rethinks their encounter in the shower. That was the closest either of them have been sexually towards each other since the incident with Finn. Lexa hasn’t made any moves on Clarke since the incident because it just felt wrong. She doesn’t want to force anything upon her if she’s not ready. After all, Clarke did go through something traumatic. So as much as Lexa wants to touch her girlfriend, she’s been giving Clarke her space.

But, that was the first time Clarke has ever remotely made a move on Lexa. Lexa keeps replaying the desire in Clarke’s eyes and imagining what could have happened if she hadn’t removed herself and before she realizes, she’s gotten herself pretty worked up. She was so wrapped up in her head that she didn’t even notice Clarke standing in the hallway wearing a big t-shirt with her hair wrapped in a towel.

“Lexa?” Clarke’s voice finally breaking the seal.

Slightly startled, Lexa looks up and frantically answers, “Yeah?”

Lexa can tell Clarke wanted to say something, but after a momentary pause, Clarke smiles and says, “What do you want to eat for breakfast?”

“Oh, um, I think I’ll just stick with coffee for now until lunch. But do you want me to go out and get something for you?”

“Could you actually? I’ve been craving those breakfast tacos from that food truck we always go to.”

Lexa gets up and smiles, “Of course! Now that you mention it, I’ll probably get some myself too.”

Lexa walks over to the laundry room and grabs a jacket off the hanger. She walks overs to the kitchen table to grab her keys and walks over to Clarke to give her a kiss, “I’ll be back in about 30 minutes, okay?”

After they ate their breakfast, they went their separate ways and start their day of studying. Lexa has her TV on projecting the footages of the security cameras around the house, her laptop on her lap, and textbooks and notes sprawled on the coffee table and the couch. She’s reviewing her notes for her political science and history notes for her last two finals on Thursday. She already feels confident in her Political Science and Psychology final for tomorrow, so she’s trying to get ahead of her studying for Thursday. In hopes that she’ll be able to have some time to spend with Clarke tomorrow and Wednesday since she’s going to be done with the semester tomorrow. She’s been studying all morning and afternoon and the only reason why she stopped is because her stomach won’t stop growling. She looks at her watch and it’s already 17:00. _Jesus! I’ve been studying for that long?!_

She looks down the hallway and see’s the dimly lit light and low playing music coming from her room. She’s already studied enough for today and honestly; her classes are so easy she didn’t even feel the need to be studying this long for these finals. She starts to slowly pack her things back into her backpack. She took one last glance at the TV monitor to make sure everything’s okay before she shuts it off. She cleans up the area and then makes her way to see what Clarke’s up to. She was surprised to find Clarke just sitting on her bed on her phone with no laptop or notes on the bed.

“Done studying?” Lexa says curiously as she walks towards the bed and sits.

Clarke removes her attention from her phone and looks up at the brunette, “I’ve been done studying since 3. Psychology is so easy there’s no way I’d fail the final.”

Lexa chuckles, “Right? I’ve just been studying for my finals on Thursday so maybe we can spend some time together after our finals tomorrow since you’ll be officially done with this semester.”

Clarke’s eyes lit up, “Really?? Cause I was just texting Raven asking her to go with me to this art gallery that’s opening tomorrow evening! But she hates art galleries so I’ve been trying to convince her to go with me for about an hour now…”

“I’d love to go with you. Who’s showcasing at the gallery?”

“It’s just a bunch of local artists. It is a formal event though so we’ll have to get all dressed up.”

Lexa grins, “Even better. I’d love to see you in a dress with your hair all done.” Lexa pauses for a moment before continuing, “Actually, it’s probably best you don’t get too dressed up cause then you’d steal the show.”

Clarke giggles, “Smooth, Lexa. Really smooth. But you’re one to speak,” Clarke puts her phone down and crawls over to Lexa slowly, “I’d love to see you in that black tailored suit you have hanging in your closet.”

The look in Clarke’s eyes and the way Clarke is crawling towards her causes her to catch her breath. She feels herself tense up as if she reverted back to her high school self when her first crush came on to her. For some reason she starts to panic and anxiety fills the pit of her stomach. Thoughts are running through her head a millions miles a second, _is she really ready? What if she’s not ready and she’s just forcing herself? What if I’m reading this the wrong way? What if we have sex and then it makes things worse? What if I lose her again? What if I’m just over thinking everything? What if…_

Before she finishes that thought, Lexa jolts straight up and off the bed. She breathing heavily as if she just finished her run from this morning and she feels her palms perspiring. She feels someone grab hold of her hand and she looks down to see a worried face on Clarke.

“Lexa… Are you okay? What’s going on? You look a little pale,” Clarke said full of worry.

Lexa shakes her head and runs her free hand over her face. She tries to sound casual as she tries to laugh off what just happened in her head, “Nothings wrong! I’m fine! I think my hunger is just getting to me. My stomach has been begging for food for a while now.”

Clarke can tell Lexa is hiding the truth, but decides not to address it right now. She tries to hide her worry, but it still shows, “Want to see if anyone else wants to grab some food?” Clarke says with an ambivalent tone.

“Yeah.. Yeah.. Let’s do that,” Lexa says with a soft smile.

* * *

After 30 minutes of planning, Clarke and Lexa find themselves at Barnaby’s with the whole gang. Similar to Clarke and Lexa, everyone’s been studying their tails off for their finals. This is actually the first time they’ve all gotten together since they were all at the police station weeks ago. They’ve all finished their food and are just having drinks and chatting. 

“Clarke, you’re so lucky that your last final is tomorrow… I have finals all week this week… I just want winter break to start NOW!” Octavia complains.

“Hey, at least you’re not studying for engineering! Imagine my pain and suffering!” Raven adds to the mix.

Octavia rebuttals, “You brought that on yourself, Rae. Plus, you know you like the pain and suffering from engineering! So quit your complaining!”

Raven laughs demonically, “Muahahaha, you’re right. I’m going to dominate this final even though I’ve been studying my ass off all week. It’s going to be feel so good when I see that A on the final exam.”

Anya rolls her eyes, “Says the person who’s been texting me all week saying ‘I’m going to fail… I want to change my major… I…’ OW!!” Anya bends over to rub her shin, “What the hell was that for?!”

“I never said such things! And if I did, that conversation was in private!” Raven outbursts.

Everyone bursts out laughing as Raven glares at her girlfriend across the table. Lexa changes the conversation in order to defuse the situation, “On another note, y’all are all coming to our family reunion after Christmas, right?”

“Ohhh, gosh, they’re not going to be ready for that,” Lincoln chuckles.

“You say it as if it’s going to be a bad thing, Linc… It’s honestly not that bad. Don’t listen to him,” says Lexa as she dismisses Lincoln’s comment.

“That’s only because our extended family aren’t coming in town this year, but if they were… they wouldn’t be ready,” Lincoln clarifies.

“Okay, valid point,” Lexa nods.

“Can we get a clarification about this ‘family reunion’ thing y’all keep talking about?” Octavia asks.

“It’s just a family reunion! Except this year our extended family from out of state aren’t coming in this year. This year we’re hosting the reunion up north at our ranch, but it’s basically just a week where we get together and play stupid games, drink, and hang out with each other before the years over,” Lincoln vaguely explains.

“That sounds like a good time!” Clarke contributes to the conversation.

“It will be this year. Since our other side of the family aren’t coming down, it’ll basically just be a little getaway with just us, Indra, Gustus, and if y’all decide to come, Ryder, Harper, and Roan,” Lexa adds.

“I was sold when you said games and drinks,” Raven said excitedly.

“Same! I’ll speak to my mom about it since we usually have plans for Christmas, but after Christmas, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to come,” Clarke adds.

Lexa turns to Clarke sitting next to her, “I hope you can come. I’ll miss you if you don’t.”

“BARF!” Raven exacerbates.

“Shove it, Rae!” Clarke shouts across the table with her tongue sticking out. Clarke then intertwines her hand with Lexa’s and gives her a warm smile. Lexa returns the smile and they held on to each other for the remainder of the evening out with their friends. However, Clarke hasn’t forgotten Lexa’s reaction hours ago and promised herself to have a conversation with Lexa after her finals are over Thursday.

* * *

As both girls predicted, their Psychology final was too easy. They both finished within 5 minutes of each other. But even though they finished their finals earlier than the rest of the class, they promised Octavia they’d wait for her to finish. As they were sitting in the foyer area of the auditorium waiting for Octavia, they decided to catch up on their Grey’s Anatomy. With everything going on, they haven’t had time to watch the episodes that came out weeks ago.

They were 15 minutes in the episode when Clarke feels a presence upon them. She looks up to see a tall brunette with her curly hair tied up in a ponytail wearing a white athletic headband, athletic build wearing athleisure attire hovering over Lexa. Clarke feels herself tense up a bit which causes Lexa to question what was going on. Lexa looks over her shoulder and then springs straight up, “LUNA! Holy crap! How are you?!” Lexa jumps to embrace Luna, “Wait, what are you doing here? Did you just get out of a final??”

Luna hugs her back laughing while Clarke was sitting there dumbfounded. “I did! I’ve had class with you all semester, but you were so busy ogling over a certain blond, you didn’t even notice I was in class with you all semester. Speaking of which,” Luna turns to face Clarke, “Sorry to interrupt! I’m Luna.”

Clarke laughs and relaxes a little. She then stands, “Hey, Luna. I’m Clarke the girl she’s been ogling at all semester long apparently,” Clarke laughs. “Nice to meet you! How do you two know each other?”

Luna looks over at Lexa with a raised eyebrow, “Do you want me to answer that or you?”

Clarke was not expecting that and looks over to Lexa with her eyebrows raised waiting for an explanation.

Both girls are now looking at Lexa and she brings a hand to rub the back of her neck—a nervous habit she’s always done as a little girl. “Uhhhh, we met last year… at a bar… after my team beat hers in the championship game for intramural soccer.”

“Mhmmm…” Clarke eggs Lexa to continue.

“Oh come on, Lexa. It’s not that bad!” Luna interjects. “Yes, we met at a bar after her team _BARELY_ beats mine. We both got drunk, we hit it off that night, and we ended up hooking up with each other.”

Clarke’s face dropped and Lexa noticed and she quickly chimed in, “BUT! It was only once and we were drunk and nothing came out of it and now were good friends! End of story!” Lexa quickly summarized and could barely maintain eye contact with her girlfriend.

“Yeah, there’s nothing to worry about. We were drunk and she was there,” shrugs Luna. “Besides, we work better as friends anyways and she’s most definitely not my type.”

Clarke lets out a small breath of relief, but a very, very small breath. She definitely didn’t think before she asked her next question, “What is your type?”

Luna puts on a sly grin and hands her phone to Clarke, “Well, why don’t you give me your number and I can tell you all about my type over lunch tomorrow?”

Before Clarke can even respond, Lexa’s already there, “Did I mention Clarke’s my girlfriend?”

Luna laughs and retracts her phone, “I know. Trust me, Lexa, everyone knows! It might be oblivious to you two, but almost everyone at this university knows you two are a couple. I just wanted to see your reaction.” And with that said, Luna gave Clarke a wink. “I’ll see you around, Woods! And it was nice to meet you, Clarke!” was the last thing Luna said before she turns around and waves goodbye to the both of them.

There was a momentary pause before Clarke disrupted the silence, “Well…” Clarke started to say. Lexa was embracing for the worst—thinking Clarke was going to give her a piece of her mind or she was going to give her the silent treatment or some type of passive aggressiveness.

“I like her,” was all Clarke said with a small smile before she sat back down waiting for Lexa to join her to finish where they left off on the episode. Lexa just stood there for a moment. Looking back and forth between where Luna stood moments ago and where Clarke is sitting completely dumbfounded. When Lexa stood there for a moment too long, Clarke finally looked up, “What are you waiting for Lexa? I wanna keep watching the episode! Hopefully we can finish it before Octavia comes out of the final. She’s probably done, but she loves to double and then triple check her answers so she might take the entire time to finish the exam.”

Lexa slowly moves to sit back down next to Clarke—still skeptical of her unusually calmness. _Is she putting up a front? Why is she acting so calm?_ She puts one earbud in and Clarke presses play. Lexa can barely pay attention to the episode and she can’t help but blurt out, “Wait, Clarke… How are you so calm about what just happened? Aren’t you mad? Or-or a little mad? Or skeptical?”

Clarke pauses the episode and removes the earbud. “Lexa… It was just sex. For one night and the only thing that came out of it was a friendship, right? I’m not here to judge you for the relationships or one night stands you’ve had in your past.” Lexa’s a little surprised, but she was honestly surprised on how surprised she is. Everything Clarke says makes sense. Plus, this is Clarke. _Man, was I jaded from Costia…_

Clarke continues, “Besides, if you want to see anger, you try that when we’re dating and I’ll show you anger.”

Lexa gulps, “Clarke, I would be a fool to do that to you.”

Clarke smiles and leans in close to Lexa, “I know you won’t.” Clarke leans in closer until they’re mere centimeters apart and looks deep into Lexa’s eyes. She quickly glances down at her lips and then returns to those forest green eyes and whispers, “For the record, I’d never do that to you either. You mean too much to me.” Clarke places a hand on Lexa’s thigh and leans in to kiss her petrified girlfriend. Clarke can feel Lexa physically relax as she returns the kiss.

“Awww, look at the famous Polis University couple showing affection. Too cute, too cute!” says a familiar voice. Clarke smiles and pulls away without tearing her eyes off of those green orbs.

“Is that really a thing?!” Lexa turns to look at Octavia. “My friend just said the same thing!”

“Duh, are you kidding? The famous Lexa Woods and the new, hot blond freshman? How would y’all not be the famous couple?” Octavia deadpans.

“What about you and Raven?? You two are both dating Lincoln and Anya!” Lexa reasons.

“Honestly, Lexa. I’m flattered, but Raven and Anya and Lincoln and I are like here…” Octavia flattens her left palm and raises it to her mid torso, “Whereas you and Clarke are like… _here_.” She raises her right hand all the way up as high as she can go.

Clarke laughs, “You’re exaggerating! We’re all equally up there!”

Lexa supports Clarke, “Seriously… Why would we be way up there?”

Octavia scoffs, “Cause y’all are haaaawwt! Who wouldn’t love seeing a hot, athletic brunette with a hot, sexy blond?? Anyways, we can have this argument all day. I’m starving! Let go get something to eat before I die!!”

Clarke rolls her eyes and begins packing her things and walks out with her girlfriend and best friend at her hips.

* * *

“Lexa! Can you bring me my bag that’s next to the nightstand, please?”

It’s and hour before the art gallery opens and both girls are getting ready. Clarke insisted that they get ready in separate rooms because she wants to have a reveal. Specifically, she wants to keep the anticipation alive. 

“Are you sure?? I thought you didn’t want me to see you until you’re ready!” Lexa shouts from the living room. She’s already all dressed since all she did was braid her signature braid, put on her suit, and bowtie. Lexa decided to go with the black on black outfit. Black suit jacket with a black button up and black skinny tie. If Lexa wasn’t so humble, she’d say she looks like a total stud. All she needs to do is see what color Clarke is wearing to wear a matching pocket square and she’s good to go. 

“I’m basically done anyways! I’m just touching up my makeup and I need something from my bag!” Clarke responds.

Lexa makes her way to her bedroom and finds the bag Clarke’s looking for. She makes her way to the bathroom and when she saw Clarke all the air in her lungs left her body as if a linebacker just took her out. Clarke’s wearing a long red dress that wraps around her neck. The dress does nothing but compliment the curvature of Clarke’s body. Her dress is the perfect length where it’s barely hovering over the floor. The dress is long enough to hide her shoes, but judging by her height, she’s definitely wearing heels. Her shoulders and chest are exposed just enough to tease Lexa. She’s also carrying a silver clutch and wearing a silver bracelet. The sight before her is absolutely breathless.

“Lexa?”

“Huh? Oh! Sorry! Here’s your bag!” Lexa hands the bag to Clarke.

Clarke takes the bag from Lexa and noticed Lexa’s still staring. “Lexa? Is something wrong? Is the dress okay? Should I change?” Clarke starts to slowly panic thinking she’s made the wrong decision wearing the red dress. _I knew I should have gone with the gold dress!_

“NOOOO! Nooo, no, no, no.” Lexa says as she quickly moves to her beautiful girlfriend’s side. “You look absolutely…” Lexa doesn’t even know what word to use to describe her. She doesn’t think a word exists to describe how beautiful she is. “God, Clarke, you look absolutely stunning.”

Clarke blushes. She can tell by the way Lexa’s looking at her that she truly meant it. “Thanks, but babe… You… You look down right dirty. Sexy dirty… So sexy… Come here.” She walks towards Lexa in her heels and without any hesitation crashes her lips against Lexa’s. With equal fervor, Lexa kisses back. She grabs Clarke by the hips and pushes her against the bathroom counter that elicits a guttural moan from Clarke. Clarke started to take off Lexa’s jacket and Lexa shrugged off her jacket and threw it next to Clarke on the counter. She then starts to loosen her tie to expose her neck which immediately drew Clarke’s attention. 

The speed and the intensity exhibited from Clarke does one of two things to Lexa. Deep down, Lexa already knows, she’s in so deep with Clarke. In a short 4-month period of knowing Clarke, she has managed to capture every cell in her body. Every cell in her body craves and needs Clarke. But, she doesn’t want to say anything. Even though the feeling is there, she doesn’t want to announce it because announcing it will just make it real. To fall in love with someone within 4-months? Some might say it’s too soon, some might say once you know, you know! All she knows is that she needs to control how she feels. The last thing she or Clarke needs is for her to bombard Clarke with how she feels and scare her away. 

On the other hand, Lexa becomes extremely scared by Clarke’s actions. All of those thoughts start flooding back to her again. _Is she really ready? What if she’s not ready and she’s just forcing herself? What if I’m reading this the wrong way? What if we have sex and then it makes things worse? What if I lose her again? What if I’m just over thinking everything? What if…_

“Wait, Clarke…” Lexa reluctantly pulls away. Her chest heaving, tie on the floor, her dress shirt half way unbuttoned showing her sports bra, and Clarke’s hands on her torso. Lexa’s holding Clarke arms length away and she’s can’t bring herself to look at Clarke. She’s so conflicted, her mind is running a millions miles a second and her chest tightens and her stomach drops.

“Lexa, what is it?” Clarke breaths out.

“I..I…” Lexa tries to muster out and on the verge of tears. She doesn’t know why the tears are forming. She doesn’t know how to navigate her feelings so why are tears forming? She finally looks up at Clarke and sees her blue worried and concerning eyes staring back at her.

“Lexa,” Clarke moves to embrace Lexa. Clarke holds on to her so tight and whispers, “Lexa, what’s wrong? Talk to me, please. I’m right here. I’m right here, Lexa.”

Lexa digs her face into Clarke’s neck and quietly lets the tears fall from her eyes. She holds on to Clarke as if her life depends on it. She can’t fathom losing Clarke. Even though she’s doing everything she possibly can to protect her and keep her safe, the idea that Finn is still at large is a constant threat to her.

Lexa mumbles from Clarke’s neck, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” Lexa removes herself from Clarke to dab the tears off her face. “I’m not usually like this.. I haven’t shed a tear since… I haven’t shed a tear in a while.”

Clarke looks at Lexa and her heart hurts. She hates seeing Lexa hurting. She takes Lexa’s hand and leads her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom towards the bed. She sits down on the bed and looks up at Lexa with loving eyes inviting her to sit with her.

“But Clarke, the art gallery,” Lexa says as she glances at her watch. “It’s already 19:45 and the gallery opens in 15 minutes. It’ll take us at least-“

“Lexa, I don’t care about the gallery. I care about you. Please, talk to me. I hate seeing you hurt like this,” Clarke pleads.

Lexa looks at Clarke, glances down at their interlocking hands, and hesitates. There’s not knowing what will come out of this conversation. It’ll be opening Pandora’s box. But those ocean blue eyes stare straight through her and there’s no choice but to dive straight in. And so, she gently sat next to Clarke on the bed.

Lexa’s staring straight forward looking through the window in the room. Clarke turns so she’s facing Lexa and they sit like that for a while. Clarke’s waiting for Lexa to say something… anything, but nothing surfaces. “How about I got make us a cup of tea,” she says as she leans in to kiss Lexa on the cheek. “I’ll be right back,” Clarke says with a smile and releases Lexa’s hand.

Clarke returns to the bedroom with two large cups of tea to see Lexa laying on the bed, feet crossed, and hands interlocked across her stomach as if she’s in therapy. She sets the tea on the night stand closest to Lexa, which causes Lexa to sit up, “Thank you, Clarke.” She lets the tea sit. Clarke moves to the other side of the bed, takes a sip, and then set her tea down on her night stand. She then proceeds to remove her heels and then lays next to Lexa in similar fashion and waits.

After about 10 minutes of quietness and right when Clarke was slowly about to become a victim of her drowsiness, Lexa finally spoke. “I don’t know where to start, Clarke…” whispers Lexa.

Clarke turns to face Lexa and supports her head with her her hand, “You know, my mom said something about you the last time I saw her.”

Lexa turns her head to face Clarke, “What did she say?”

Clarke clears her throat, “She noticed how you’re very protective of me ever since Finn.”

Lexa glances down and then back up to Clarke, “You say that like it’s a bad thing…”

“No babe, that’s not what I meant. Let me explain.” Clarke takes a second before she continues, “I’ve noticed your demeanor changed ever since Finn. You bought a top of the line camera system that watches and records all activities around the house, you make sure someone’s with me 24/7… You go out of your way for me and don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful for you, Lexa,” Clarke reaches out and grabs Lexa’s hand which causes blue to meet green. Clarke then turns over so she’s on her belly without a care of the creases she may create on her dress, “But I’m worried about what’s happening up here,” Clarke says as she points her finger to Lexa’s head.

“Clarke…” She still doesn’t know what to say, but she knows she needs to say something.

“I know you’re worried, Lexa,” Clarke slips. Clarke really wants Lexa to express how she feels, so she slowly encourages her.

“Worried?” Lexa lets out a small chuckle. “Worried is an understatement, Clarke,” Lexa admits and then suddenly she can’t stop the inevitable word vomit. “I’m terrified. I’m terrified that you’ll be taken away. I’m terrified that you’ll be hurt. I’m completely disgusted by the fact that Finn,” Lexa says with the utmost disdain, “Could be watching you at any moment since he hasn’t been caught yet. I’m disgusted by how he treated you. He was only able to take you for less than 24 hours, but he is so sick and twisted. I’m terrified that if he somehow gets to you again, I will never get you back. I’m terrified what will happen to you if he gets you. I’m terrified that the one person I’ve grown to love will be taken away from me and I hate feeling terrified. I don’t want to be terrified. So, I can’t help but make sure you’re okay and you’re safe. I can’t risk you be taken away from me again, Clarke. I just can’t.”

Lexa then takes a deep breath, sits up, and then continues, “And I’m also scared to touch you. I’m scared that I’d do something that cause you to freak out like you did the first night you came back from the hospital. I’m scared that I haven’t given you enough time to work through the trauma that happened to you and I just feel so useless.” Lexa’s burning up from her confession and she takes another deep breath in and out to try and calm herself, “I just don’t want to do the wrong thing. I don’t want to lose you, Clarke. Not again.” She then finally makes eye contact with Clarke, “Cause I don’t think I’d be able to survive if I lose you again.”

Clarke wanted to encourage Lexa to talk about what she was thinking, but she didn’t expect Lexa to reveal so much. Mostly because she didn’t know Lexa was harboring so many emotions; she did such a good job hiding it. But Clarke couldn’t help but catch on to one particular detail, _did she just say she loves me?_ Clarke has never had anyone care about her so much besides Abby and Jake and it ignites her insides how an amazing person like Lexa could possibly care about her so intensely. She decides not say anything about Lexa’s slip because she doesn’t think Lexa’s even realized what she’s said.

Clarke sits up and caresses her hand on Lexa’s cheek and brings her in for searing kiss. Lexa’s emotions are all over the place, but when she felt Clarke’s lips on hers, she concentrates all the emotions into kissing Clarke back. She can feel the tears building and threatening to release. When she feels Clarke’s tongue swipe her bottom lip she immediately grants Clarke access and they deepen the kiss. This kiss is different than the one they had earlier. It was passionate, loving, and full of unspoken words. Clarke moves closer to Lexa while supporting herself with her arm. Lexa places her hand on Clarke’s thigh—finally feeling a little bit more comfortable after releasing all the weight off her chest.

They both tease and bite each other lips until their swollen and bruised. Clarke’s head can’t wrap around the fact that Lexa loves her and the thought of it elicits a moan and she can feel herself getting wet.

“Clarke…” Lexa says as she breaks the kiss. They’re lips are still hovering over each other as their eyes stare deep into each others soul.

Clarke moves her face away from Lexa’s so she can see how serious she is and places a hand over Lexa’s heart, “You’re not going to lose me, Lexa. I don’t like what happened with Finn, but I don’t want our relationship to be tainted because of it. You have to know the only person I want to be with is you,”. She glances back down at Lexa’s lips and she unconsciously licks her lips and dives in again. Lexa kisses back with equal fervor.

After another couple of moments, Lexa pulls back again. “But what if you are taken away from me again. Clarke, I-,”

“Then I will fight like hell to get back to you, Lexa. I will move mountains and cross oceans for you until we finally meet again,” Clarke says as she’s taking deep breaths from kissing Lexa. “I don’t want to live in the ‘what if’, babe. I want to live in the now. I want to feel you and kiss you and I’m ready for you and I want to have the chance to fall for you because I have never wanted someone so badly in my life and if you keep me from doing what I want to do to you right now, then I-,” was all Clarke could finish before Lexa interrupts by reattaching their lips again with more intensity than before.

Without detaching their lips, Lexa moves to straddle Clarke. Both of Clarke’s hands are deeply intertwined in Lexa’s wavy hair and both of Lexa’s is caressing Clarke’s face. Clarke’s heart is beating so fast she thinks her heart is going to explode. Her body is burning up so fast and she needs to feel Lexa’s body on top of hers.

“Take off my dress,” Clarke says in between passionate kisses.

Lexa breaks the kiss momentary to catch her breath, “Are you sure, Clarke? We don’t have to-“

“I’ve never been more sure of anything. And if you don’t want to have sex with me then I’ll take care of myself,” Clarke says all in one breath.

And that was all Lexa needed to hear. She unclips the fasten behind Clarke’s neck, unzips her dress, bundles up the bottom of the dress, and takes the whole thing off in one swoop and tosses it behind her without a care in the world. The only care in the world Lexa has right now is the beautiful women in front of her with nothing but her red laced lingerie set on.

“Clarke, you never seize to amaze me,” Lexa’s practically drooling.

“You’re just going to watch or are you going to do something about this…stud,” Clarke says in her quiet yet husky tone. 

Lexa’s eyes turned darker than the midnight sky and plunged right in. She aggressively attaches her lips on to Clarke’s and starts to slowly push Clarke down to lay on the bed. Once Clarke lays on the bed, Lexa sits back up and proceeds to rip off her black button up hulk style and tosses it behind her.

Clarke is breathing heavy and her eyes went wide, “Okay, that… was fucking hot.”

Lexa smiles which causes Clarke to smile back deviously. Lexa leans back down to reconnect their lips and when their bodies collided, shock spread all throughout Clarke’s body causing her arch her back and let out the dirtiest moan Lexa has ever heard.

Lexa immediately feels herself pooling in her underwear and she feels like the beast within her has been unleashed. Clarke pushes Lexa to the side, straddles her, and grinds deep into her lap.

“Ohhh, god..” was all Lexa could say to describe how she’s feeling. Clarke continues to grind on Lexa trying to get as much friction as she can while she tries to unbuckle Lexa’s belt. Soon enough, Lexa lent a helping hand and Clarke ripped off her pants in one motion. Clarke was about to start taking off Lexa’s boxer briefs, but Lexa pushes Clarke to the side, grabs her hands, and pins them above her head.

“Oh no, you’re mine. You’re first,” Lexa whispers in her ear causing Clarke to arch her back again and let out a guttural moan.

Lexa moves both hands above her head so only one hand is pinning both of Clarke’s down. She uses her leverage to kiss and bite down Clarke’s neck all the way down to her breasts. The moment Lexa’s mouth brushed over Clarke’s nipple, Clarke let out a loud gasp.

“Take it off, pleaseee, Lexa,” Clarke moans out as she arches her back. Catching the drift, Lexa uses her free hand and skillfully unclasps her bra with one hand. Lexa lets go of Clarke’s hands to removes the bra. Hands free, Clarke immediately grabs hold of Lexa’s face and connects them together in a hot, passionate, and wet kiss.

Without a moment to waste, Lexa starts to make her way down. Licking, biting, and kissing all the way down to the valley of her breasts and to her stomach. Clarke, equally as eager, push her breasts together and pinches her nipples eliciting a moan. Lexa darts back up and connects their lips together and removes Clarke’s hands from herself and pins them above her head again. Lexa uses one hand to holds Clarke’s hands above her head and detaches her lips from Clarke. No words are exchanged in this moment. All feelings and thoughts are nonverbally exchanged looking through the windows of their soul.

Lexa immediately gives Clarke one last wet kiss and removes herself from Clarke. She travels down her body briefly showing her breasts some attention, but her main goal is give Clarke the best orgasm she’ll ever have. She travels down and pulls down her panties enough to expose her pelvis and she sucks and pulls on the area right beneath her pelvic bone.

“Ahh,” Clarke moans as her body trembles from the the tingling sensation coursing through her body.

Lexa moves Clarke’s legs further apart and she can feel the heat radiating from all the friction Clarke created for herself. She starts to slowly trace her fingers along the inner part of the thigh and it starts to drive Clarke wild. Lexa removes the undergarment and uses two fingers to break the fold and dive into the pool surrounding her clit.

“Lexaaaaa… yeeees…Ohhhh myyyy..g-“

Lexa started to gently rub circles around her clit. Not wanting to get her off too fast. She wants to ignite every nerve in her body before she climaxes. She removes herself from her pelvis and moves back up to her breasts. She starts to suck and pull on her nipples while continuing drawing circles around her clit. She hears Clarke’s breath start to get shorter and faster and her moans started to drag out longer and louder. She moves to the other nipple and ravishes equally.

As she’s about to finish with her nipple, she slides her fingers up and down spreading the wetness and teasing both her opening and her clit. She continues stroking Clarke until she finally makes her way back down, sucking and pulling. When Clarke feels Lexa’s breath hovering over her clit, she drives her hands straight into Lexa’s hair and spreads her legs wider. She’s giving all of her to Lexa and she wants nothing more than to feel Lexa’s tongue on her clit and her fingers fucking her hard.

When Lexa’s tongue latches on to her clit, Clarke could have came right there, but Lexa wouldn’t let her, “Stay with me, Clarke.”

“Ohhh, Lexa, make me cum. Mmmmm, please.”

And with that she drives two fingers straight inside of Clarke and Clarke’s walls immediately tighten. The longest moan comes out of Clarke and she removes a hand to grip on to the sheets while the other grips Lexa’s hair tighter. The combination of Lexa’s tongue on her clit and Lexa’s fingers skillfully pumping in and out takes Clarke to a whole other galaxy. She starts to rock her body to Lexa’s rhythm and right when Clarke was trying to catch her breath, Lexa curls her fingers.

Lexa curls her fingers gently and Clarke’s grip on her hair immediately tightens. She looks up and sees Clarke’s back arched up and her knuckles gripping tightly on the sheets turning almost as white as the sheets beneath them. She continues to curl her fingers as she pumps in and out of Clarke aiming at her g-spot and that’s when she finally heard the tide turn. Clarke’s starting to take short, quick laboring breaths, her movements become ridged, and Clarke’s walls tighten around her fingers to the point where she can barely move.

“Oh.. Oh… Right there, Lexa. Right there. Don’t stop. Ohmygod, don’t stop. Ohmygod, ohmygod. Lexaaa, I’m coming, I’m com-“

Mid-sentence, Clarke releases the hold on Lexa’s head to pull on the bed sheets, arches her back, and her mouth agape, but no sound. As if someone had muted the volume. Then out of no where, “OH MY GOD, LEXA!” Clarke screams. Clarke’s body is shaking as Lexa drags out her orgasm. Clarke’s inner walls has such a grip around Lexa’s fingers, she had to remove a finger in order to prolong her orgasm. She gently licks Clarke’s clit on and off until Clarke’s thighs clench together from too much sensation. Lexa removes her fingers and cleans Clarke up before she makes her way to Clarke’s limp body. Clarke’s chest is rising and falling rapidly, her cheeks flushed pink, and eyes closed.

Lexa lands soft kisses along Clarke’s jawline, cheeks, nose, and forehead before landing a gentle peck on Clarke’s lips.

“Clarke?” Lexa asks after a couple of minutes pass and still no sound from Clarke.

“Come here and hold me,” Clarke says.

Lexa moves up closer to Clarke and lays down mashing their bodies together. Lexa holds Clarke with one hand while she uses the other to drape the comforter over the both of them. Clarke’s body is burning up like a furnace from the existential orgasm she just had. Clarke finally opens her eyes and blue meets green again. Sex this time with Clarke was different than any other time they’ve been together. She feels more connected with Clarke. Probably because she was finally able to let Clarke know her greatest fear of losing her. On the other hand, Clarke feels more connected to Lexa because she can finally admit to herself that she’s inevitably falling for the girl with forest green eyes.

“This, right here. Is exactly where I want to be. Don’t think it’s cause of the sex, although, the sex is mind blowing and amazing and…yes… This, right here, laying in your arms and being with the amazing person you are is the reason why I’ll do anything to get myself back to you. Within a short span of time, you’ve somehow managed to mean the world to me. I feel so close to you and I really like it,” Clarke whispers.

Lexa kisses the top of Clarke’s head. She can feel Clarke’s heart beat pounding out of her chest, “I’m glad you feel that way, Clarke, because I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Clarke loosens her hold on Lexa and Lexa pulls away enough to see Clarke’s flushed face. “Promise me you’ll live in the moment and not worry so much about Finn. This Lexa is the Lexa I want and for the both of us, we deserve more than to worry about the past,” Clarke states.

Lexa hesitates at the request, but after everything that’s been lifted from her chest, she can’t help but nod. “I promise, Clarke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little longer compared to previous chapters, but hope y'all enjoyed it! Let me know how you like it by writing a comment! I do read y'all comments and it does help me write!
> 
> I definitely write as I go along, so honestly, if some of y'all write something interesting, I might include it in the story!
> 
> Till next time!
> 
> Sidenote: sorry, but not sorry about all the "y'alls" xD
> 
> Update: I just wrote the next couple of chapters and y'all are in for a treat. Stay tuned! Things are gonna get real interesting!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.
> 
> Before I start I just want to address one part of the story. I understand there are questions with the academics side of things. The university I attended (actually all public universities within the state of Texas) has core requirements all students have to complete. A lot of these are easy classes which is why Lexa is a junior taking easy courses (sometimes students spread out their easy classes throughout their semesters so they're not swamped with advance level courses towards the end of their academic career). Also, yes, Lexa is planning on becoming a lawyer, but at the university I attended, there was no such thing as a pre-law major which is why Lexa's currently a Political Science major. I'm just going with what I know and how the university I attended runs things, so I hope that clears things a little.
> 
> Things are about to get bumpy which is why I was able to post this chapter way earlier than I usually do. I really enjoyed writing it so I hope y'all enjoy reading! This chapter is a little shorter, but that's because I broke it down to two parts. 
> 
> Sorry for any grammatical, spelling, or syntax errors! Enjoy!

Despite all odds, Lexa and Clarke managed to get a 4.0 by the end of their semester. Everyone else got a 4.0 semester besides Raven, who ended up with a 3.8 because of her engineering course.

_“I swear to god that professor is out to get everyone! The highest grade ANYONE got was a B and of course the prick ‘doesn’t believe in curves’,” Raven says with upmost disdain and mockery._

_Everyone laughs as Anya leans in a whispers something in Raven’s ear which causes a devious smile to appear on her face. “Well, that’s the end of the night for me folks cause I’m about to get laid! See y’all when I see y’all!” was the last thing Raven said before she and Anya race out of the bar._

_“Only Anya can get her to change her mood on a dime like that. Usually Raven chews our ear off about her engineering class for at least a couple hours,” Octavia laughs._

_“Well, she seems happy and I can’t complain! I can only take so much engineering talk for so long before I completely tune out…” Clarke smiles and laughs. Lexa holds her tighter in her arms and gives her a kiss on the side of her head as the rest of them drink and chat for the remainder of the night._

* * *

A week and a couple days goes by and its now Christmas Eve. The Griffin family has a family tradition that started ever since Clarke was born. They would start the morning off with hot chocolate and watch Home Alone. Abby would then make her infamous green bean casserole again (because having it once during Thanksgiving just isn’t enough) and Jake would go out to the Tex-Mex restaurant around the corner that only opens till noon on Christmas Eve to buy 2 dozen tamales. They would eat lunch as a family and then they would go out to the backyard and build a fire and sit around and talk about how their year went and what new goals they have for the new year around the corner. They would also make smores and drink hot apple cider. After the hot cider, Clarke would always take a nap and Jake would always join her. While they take a nap, Abby always schedules at least one elective surgery on Christmas Eve and then by the time she finishes and comes home Jake and Clarke would be watching Home Alone 2. They would finish the movie just in time before midnight and right when the grandfather clock chimes at midnight, Jake and Abby would bring out the presents they’ve hidden around the house and watch as Clarke opens them. It was always Clarke’s favorite time of the year. 

But that was all when Jake was still here.

Now, things are a little different. Ever since Raven came into their lives, Raven spends Christmas with them. Raven’s family situation isn’t ideal. Her dad was never in the picture and her mom is a drug addict that stays in rehab majority of the time. Raven’s mom would always come back from the rehab facility sober and claims that she’s never relapse again and she’ll be better for Raven, but give her a month and she’ll relapse like clockwork. Her relapse would happen often and also always happen around this time of the year. 

As Clarke got older and when Raven finally explained to Clarke why she’s never invited anyone to her house before, she realized how resilient Raven is. From that point on, Clarke’s always invited Raven over to her house and to spend Christmas Eve and day with her and her family. In a way, Raven filled the void for Clarke since Jake passed away.

Now, instead of Jake, Raven, Clarke, and Abby, would share hot chocolate together in the morning and watch Home Alone. Afterwards, Raven and Clarke would walk over to the mall near by and share a soft pretzel while sitting on a mall bench watching all the procrastinators buy their last minute gifts for their loved ones. Abby would still make her green bean casserole when Clarke and Raven would go to the mall. She’d leave it in the oven so it’ll stay warm until the girls came back. The girls always attempt to ice skate, but would always fail. Then when they’ve feel like they’ve fallen enough times, they would return home and watch Elf, since it was Raven’s favorite Christmas movie, make a fire, eat smores, and wait for Abby to come home. Abby would still schedule her elective surgery, but instead of one she schedules two now. But she always manages to return home right before midnight and carry on the tradition of revealing presents at midnight.

And this has been the tradition for them ever since. There are a couple years where Octavia and Bellamy would join them, but it hasn’t happened for a couple of years now since their parents have been making more effort to make it home by Christmas Eve. Their parents travel all the time for work, so they really rely on each other to keep things afloat.

Clarke and Raven are sitting on the couch with their large mug of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows when Clarke hears her phone chime.

Lexa (10:00am):  
Good morning, love and Merry Christmas Eve!

Clarke smiles and responds,  
Clarke (10:01am):  
Someone’s a little late waking up this morning!  
Good morning :) and ‘Merry Christmas Eve’ isn’t a thing!

Clarke turns to Raven, “Lexa just told me ‘Merry Christmas Eve’, that’s not a thing, right?”

Raven doesn’t take her eyes off the movie even though she’s seen it about a dozen times, “Sure it is! It’s like Merry Christmas, but Merry Christmas Eve. Anya texted me the same thing this morning. It was the first time I’ve heard someone say it, but it makes sense.” Raven shrugs.

Lexa (10:05am):  
Of course it’s a thing! It’s like Merry Christmas, but Merry Christmas Eve

Clarke rolls her eyes. _I guess it’s a thing then!_

Clarke (10:05am):  
Whatever you say!  
You have any plans for today?

Lexa (10:06am):  
No, we don’t really do anything for Christmas Eve. We all stay home though. Idk when it happened, but it became an unspoken rule that no one makes any plans for Christmas Eve or Christmas.

Lexa (10:06am):  
We don’t really even do anything as a family. I guess it’s just nice knowing everyone’s home though. And you?

Clarke (10:08am):  
Raven and I go to the mall and watch all the last minute shoppers desperately try to find something for their family and we try ice skating, but that’s not until we finish watching Home Alone

Lexa (10:10am):  
Home Alone! I haven’t watched that movie in ages! Well, I would hate to bother your time with Raven, so I’ll leave you to it! But if y’all have nothing else to do, y’all can always come over. I’m just my parent wouldn’t mind

Clarke thinks about her offer and honestly, after they came back from the mall, they really don’t have anything else to do besides watch Elf. They usually just sit around, listen to Christmas music until they can’t take it anymore, and wait for Abby to come home.

“Hey Raven, after we watch Elf, you wanna go over to Lexa’s and hang out?” asks Clarke.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind. As long as we come back with enough time to make a fire and eat smores,” Raven replies.

“Sweet! I’ll let Lexa know we’ll stop by later to hang out! I’ll let my mom know so she’ll know we’re leaving,” Clarke says with excitement.

Clarke (10:15am):  
Raven’s down and you know I always want to see you, so we’ll stop by later! We’ll head over after the mall and once we finish Elf. See you soon 

Lexa (10:16am):  
Can’t wait 

Things go just as planned when Clarke and Raven go to the mall. They share a pretzel and they go ice skating. Clarke broke her record for how many times she fell before she completed one full circle around the rink. By the time she finished her third full circle, she’s had enough and Raven and Clarke decide to head back home.

“You want to just head over to the mansion? I’m not feeling Will Ferrell today,” Raven asks Clarke as they’re just one block away from the house.

“Really? Why not??”

“Ehh, I just don’t feel like it,” Raven says. Clarke’s noticed she’s been a little down all day.

Clarke doesn’t know how to frame the next questions, so she just goes for it, “How’s your mom?”

Raven’s silent. They walk for about 20 yards in silence before she took a deep breath and answers, “You know, same ol’ same ol’.” Clarke waits knowing there has to be more.

“I don’t know why I thought she would actually keep her word...” Raven continues.

“What do you mean?” Clarke asks a little confused.

“She called me about a week ago when she was just released from the rehab facility that she was doing better than she’s ever been and telling me how she’s going to really make an effort to change this time—turning a new leaf or whatever and how she’s going to be the mother I deserve to have. She also promised she was going be home for Christmas Eve and spend time with me—for once,” Raven emphasized.

After a short pause she continues, “I don’t know, Clarke. It was stupid of me to think she was actually going to keep her word since breaking promises are the only thing in her repertoire she knows, but a part of me was really hopeful. I guess a part of me was too hopeful. So when I got the call yesterday morning that she was readmitted to the facility, I was just really bummed.”

They just reached the front yard of the house and they stopped before entering. “I’m so sorry, Raven… I know you want nothing more than to rekindle things with your mom. Remember, Abby and I will always be here for you no matter what. And before you say it, you’re never a burden to us and please don’t insult us by saying you’re our charity case. You’re basically my sister from another mister and you’re the best sister anyone can ever ask for,” Clarke finishes by forcing Raven into a hug. Clarke trying to hold back the soft tears forming in her eyes.

Raven chuckles, “Damn straight I’m the best sister. O’s got nothing on me.”

Clarke releases Raven and playfully shoves her shoulder, “Hey! I love y’all equally!”

“I know, I know… But admit it, you love me a _liiiiittle_ more,” Raven persuades.

“ _Only_ because I’ve known you longer,” Clarke justifies as she opens the door and walks in the house.

Raven fists pumps and follows her in. “I’m gonna text Lexa that we’re gonna be on the way. Make sure you get whatever you want to bring!” Clarke says to Raven before she closes the front door.

What they didn’t notice was the suspicious black Tahoe parked down the street.

* * *

Lexa just receive a text from Clarke that they’d be here in 15 minutes. Lexa wasn’t expecting Clarke so soon since she knew they would still need to watch Elf after returning from the mall. She’s been hanging out in the living room all day playing the new Spider-Man game that came out on PS4 recently.

She saves her game and rushes to her bedroom to change out of her sweats and big t-shirt in to something a little more presentable. Once she’s brushed her teeth again and changed into leggings and hoodie, she makes her way out the door into the mansion.

“Alexa, I’ll be back,” Lexa says before she shuts the door. She quickly walks over to the mansion not wanting to stay in the cold for too long and opens the large sliding door to find Indra in the kitchen and Gustus in his office. The fireplace below the TV is on which explains the faint firewood smell inside the house. She noticed neither Lincoln or Anya were downstairs.

“Hey mom,” Lexa announces as she closes the sliding door.

“Lexa! Look who decided to come out of their little hole,” Indra says sarcastically.

Lexa rolls her eyes, “Hey, it’s winter break, I got nothing to do. Besides, I’ve been playing Spider-Man all day.”

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Indra pipes up as she’s mixing what seems to be a salad in a large bowl. “Now that you’re here, you can go see what your siblings are up to since neither of them have come downstairs all day yet.”

Lexa makes her way through the living room and stops by to greet Gustus.

“Lexa! It’s good to see you. How did your semester turn out?” Gustus asks without removing his eyes from the work on his desk.

“It went well despite everything. Clarke and I both ended with a perfect semester,” Lexa says proudly.

“Clarke… She’s a very smart girl, isn’t she?” Gustus finally stops his work to look up at Lexa.

“She really is. She’s trying to be a surgeon like her mother. I don’t know if I’ve told you that.”

“No, you didn’t! Good for her! She’s got a long road ahead of her. Speaking of which, when are you going to join me at the firm? You’ve finished your first semester of your junior year, you should come work in the office a couple times and log in some observation times in court.”

“Soon. I was thinking about over the summer since next semester I’ll be taking more advance classes which will most likely require more of my time compared to this semester,” Lexa reasons. She’s honestly been pushing off her father’s offer to work at his firm. She doesn’t want to rely on her dad to be able to find an internship. She wants to be able to fend for herself.

“Lexa, you’ve been pushing this off for a while now. The sooner you get some experience and observe what happens in court, the more prepared you’ll be when you go to Law School.”

“That’s what Law School is for, dad…”

“I know, but you’re at an advantage! Why not use your mom and I as an advantage for your success,” Gustus tries to reason with Lexa.

“I’ll think about it. Maybe I can make some room in my schedule next semester to come in a couple times a week…” Lexa compromises to try and end this conversation.

“Good. You let me know what days you want to come and I’ll arrange them for you,” Gustus says with a smile.

Lexa gives a quick nod and exits the room. A conversation with Gustus always turns into something about school and the firm and law school. Sometimes she wishes she could just talk to her dad about other things, but recently he’s been very busy with work and is always going away on business trips. Both Indra and Gustus know about what happened in the recent months with her and Clarke and they’ve been nothing but supportive which Lexa truly appreciates. To her understanding, they both adore Clarke. Who wouldn’t?

She makes her way upstairs to hear faint music coming from Anya’s room. She walks in and finds both Anya and Lincoln. Anya’s laying in bed scrolling though her phone whereas Lincoln is playing Spider-Man on Anya’s PS4.

“So this is what y’all’ve been doing all day!” Lexa says as she announces her presence (might just be me, but I do find myself sometimes saying “y’all’ve”).

“Yeah, there’s really nothing to do until we leave for the ranch,” Lincoln says without peeling his eyes away from the fight he’s currently engaging in the game.

“Seriously though… There’s nothing to do. I’ve just been scrolling through Facebook and Instagram trolling for cute animal posts and sending them to Raven all day” Anya says as she sits up. “I also just finished the Spider-Man game yesterday, so I really have nothing to do now.”

Lexa’s shocked to hear, “What?! It just came out!”

“Yeah, when she says she’s been sending things to Raven ‘all day’ what she really means is the last 30 minutes. She played all night until 10am and just woke up 30 minutes ago,” Lincoln pauses the game to look at Anya.

Lexa checks her watch and it’s already 16:40. She then checks her phone to see if she’s maybe missed a call or a text from Clarke, but there’s nothing. _Strange_ … She checks “Find My Friends” and see’s that Clarke is still located at her house. _Even more strange_ … _Something’s not right_ …

“Hey Lexa, what’s going on? You got your ‘there’s something wrong’ face on right now,” Anya says as she stretches out on her bed.

“I do not have a ‘there’s something wrong’ face!” Lexa defends.

“I’m sorry, sis, but you kinda do. Your eyebrows do this little thing,” Lincoln tries to demonstrate on his face, but he just looks like a monkey trying to find his nose.

Lexa bursts out laughing, “I know I definitely don’t look like THAT.” After her laughter dies down she continues, “I don’t know something just seems wrong. Clarke texted me 15 minutes ago that she’d be here and I just checked her location and she still hasn’t left the house… Anya, did Raven text you at all today?”

Anya sits up with purpose and checks her phone, “Yeah, the last text I got from her was at 16:20 saying they just got back to Clarke’s from the mall.”

Lexa’s stomach drops, “Something’s definitely not right.”

Anya stands up, “Lexa, they’re probably just running late, noth-“

Lexa zips her head to look at Anya, “Don’t you dare say nothing’s wrong. The last time something like this happened _something was wrong!_ ” Lexa says firmly.

Lincoln’s ditched the game and walks towards Lexa, “Hey, hey. Calm down. How about we go over to Clarke’s and see what’s going on? Is she still at her place?”

Lexa checks her phone and her stomach drops further to the point of nausea, “Now it says ‘Location Not Available’. We need to go now!”

Lexa turns on a dime and rushes downstairs. Anya and Lincoln aren’t too far behind. Anya has a new sense of urgency since she knows Raven is with Clarke today. Three siblings rushing down the stairs inevitably draws attention and Indra was the first to speak up, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, where’s the fire?”

“Something’s not right with Clarke and Raven. We’re gonna go check on them,” Lexa says in short sentences.

“Again?? Do you think it’s Finn?” Gustus walks out of his office to stand next to the front door.

“Oh god, I sure hope not,” Indra answers.

“We’re gonna go check it out. We’ll be back,” Lexa says as she zips by Gustus. Right when Lexa was about to swing the door open, Gustus slams the door shut.

“What the hell?!” Lexa shouts. Frustrated and impatient.

“Lexa, you need to calm down and focus. If you’re not back within the hour, I’m going to call Ryder and send him to Clarke’s,” Gustus says sternly.

“No, if I need Ryder, I’ll call him myself. Please, just let me do this on my terms,” Lexa pleads to her father.

He takes a long moment to look at each one of his children. “Y’all better know what you’re getting into. Be safe.”

* * *

“At least let me get something to drink before we leave! I know you want to see Lexa, but damn!” Raven shouts from the the living room/kitchen area to Clarke who’s locking the door. That was when she noticed the blinds on the windows were shut. _Strange, we never close these blinds_ … “Hey Raven!” Clarke shouts as she pivots on her heels, “Did you close…”

Everything happened so fast. Clarke’s pivots on her heels to see Raven stop in her tracks staring at something in the kitchen eyes wide like a deer in headlights. Raven then turns to look at Clarke with the most horrifying look on her face and screams, “CLARKE, RUN!!”

Before Clarke could even move a muscle, she hears a loud _POP_ and then sees Raven grab her leg and fall to the floor. Blame it on her instincts and her training from the hospital, but instead of doing what Raven told her to do, Clarke sprints to Raven’s side and starts to apply pressure to the gunshot wound on her leg that’s bleeding profusely. Clarke’s entire body is shaking, her adrenaline is at an all time high, and she’s scared out of her mind. _RAVEN’S SHOT! OH MY GOD, RAVEN’S SHOT! SOMEONE SHOT, RAVEN! Wait, SOMEONE… shot Raven_ … Clarke turns to see where the shot came from and her worst nightmare came true.

With a gun directed at her face and the same disturbed smile, “Did you miss me?”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, FINN?!” Clarke shouts. She’s so scared and angry she feels tears cascading down her face. She looks back down to Raven and she still has the same horrified look on her face looking directly at Finn.

“I came to take what’s mine! You, Clarke, are mine! And I’m not leaving until you come with me! We need to get out of here! It’s not safe!” Finn shouts. He starts walking closer to the girls with the gun still pointed at Clarke.

“The hell you think I’m going with you! We need to call an ambulance! We need to get Raven to the hospital!” Clarke shouts at Finn completely ignoring the gun pointed at her. Raven tries to move away as Finn’s moving closer, but she just winces in pain.

“No, no, no. Raven, don’t move. We have to get this bleeding to stop! If you move, it’ll just make everything worse!” Clarke says shakily to Raven while her hands maintain pressure on her wound. 

“Just leave her! She’ll be holding us back! We need to leave!” Finn shouts at Clarke.

“NO! I CAN’T JUST LEAVE HER! I HAVE TO GET THIS BLEEDING TO STOP OR SHE COULD DIE!” Clarke shouts at Finn directly to his face.

“Fine, then I’ll just get rid of her,” Finn says pragmatically and move the nozzle of the gun to aim at Raven.

“NO!” Clarke jumps to shield Raven with her own body from the line of fire. “If you want to kill her, then you’ll have to kill me too!” Clarke says strongly as she grips on to Raven for dear life.

Finn scoffs, “Move, Clarke… You’re making this more difficult that it has to be.”

“FUCK YOU, FINN!” Clarke shouts in Finn’s face.

Finn lowers his gun, rolls his eyes in annoyance, and spins around on his heel pacing back and forth in the kitchen with both hands on his head. “UGH, Clarke, you’re being so annoying right now! You don’t need her in your life. She’s toxic for you! Once you come with me, you’ll soon learn that everyone in this world is bad for you besides me! I’m the only person that will treat you right and treat you the way you deserve to be treated!”

“You will never surmount to anyone in my life!” Clarke shouts back and before she knows it Finn’s left hand collides with the side of Clarke’s face.

“YOU BITCH! I’m the _ONLY_ person in your life that’s worth it! Don’t you dare speak to me like that ever again!” Finn shouts inches away from Clarke’s face.

Raven holds on to Clarke as tight as she can, her vision is starting to become blurry, “Clarke… I don’t feel so good…” Raven’s voice is light and weak. Clarke removes herself from Raven and places two fingers on her carotid. She tries to control her breathing so she can feel the pulsation on her fingertips. “Your pulse is getting weak. We really need to get you to a hospital,” Clarke says to Raven quietly. She then moves to look at her wound and it’s still bleeding.

She turns to Finn and desperately pleads, “Finn, please. Please let me save her.” Clarke hesitates for a second as she thinks and in this given moment, she is willing to do anything to save her friends life. “If-If-If you let me save her, th-then I’ll go with you.”

Raven tightens her hold on Clarke, “nooo…. Clarke…. No.” Raven takes a breath, it’s getting harder for her to keep her strength, “You can’t…”

Finn considers Clarke’s bargain. “You promise? We stop Raven’s bleed and you’ll come with me?” Finn questions Clarke’s legitimacy.

“Yes. Yes, Finn. If you help me stop Raven’s bleed and help me stabilize her, then I’ll come with you.”

“You’ll come quietly??” Finn clarifies.

Clarke turns back to look at Raven. Raven’s skin tone is getting paler and she’s barely able to keep her eyes open. Raven’s looking at Clarke and shaking her head and all she could manage was a whisper, “noo… don’t.. do it…” Clarke squeezes her eyes close and tears are streaming down her face. She opens up her eyes and looks at Raven with great sorrow, “Yes, I’ll come quietly.”

Finn face contorts to a devious smile. “Okay, fine.”

Clarke uses her shoulder to wipe the tears off her face and then turns to Finn, “Give me your belt and grab me the towels over there on the kitchen stove.”

Finn puts the gun down on the kitchen counter and starts to take off his belt. He hands it over to Clarke and then moves to grab the kitchen towels. Clarke removes her hand and places the kitchen towels on top of the wound and applies pressure again. She turns to Finn, “Finn, I need you to take over and apply pressure while I apply the tourniquet.”

“I don’t-“

“FINN, JUST COME HERE AND APPLY PRESSURE!!” Clarke spits.

Finn gets down next to her and takes over applying pressure. She then grabs the belt and maneuvers it so above Raven’s knee and threads the belt through the buckle. She looks up at Raven who’s watching her every move, “Raven, I love you, but this is going to hurt.” Before Raven can even give a response, Clarke uses all the strength she can muster and tightens the belt as tight as she can. Raven’s eyes immediately open wide and she screams in pain. Clarke’s tears are now cascading faster and Clarke wipes the tears from her face with her shoulder and bumps Finn to the side, taking over pressure.

Clarke looks at Raven who’s barely keeping her eyes open and then she looks at Finn. “Okay, Finn, I need to get her to the bed. There’s the guest bedroom just right behind this wall,” Clarke says in between her shaky breath. “I need you to help me move her there,” Clarke concludes.

“Why can’t we just leave her here??” Finn complains.

“FINN! Do you want me to go with you or not? If you do, you need to do everything I say RIGHT NOW!” Clarke shouts at Finn.

Finn stands their idle for a moment and then finally moves to the other side of Raven and starts to slowly drag her on the floor. A trail of blood follows as Clarke and Finn pull Raven around the corner to the guest bedroom. Once they’re at the edge of the bed, Finn moves to pick her up, “Be careful! Watch her leg!” Finn places Raven on the bed and moves out of the way. Clarke then checks her pulse one more time and her pulse is getting stronger, but she still needs to pack the wound.

“Finn, under the sink in the kitchen, there’s a red bag with medical supplies. Go and get them for me.”

Finn turns around and goes back to the kitchen. Raven grabs Clarke’s arm, “Lexa.. Lexa has to know something’s wrong. You texted her right?”

With everyone going on, Clarke completely forgot about Lexa, “Yeah, yeah I did.” She checks her watch, “I texted her about 30 minutes ago.”

Raven nods and says, “We need to buy time, Clarke. You need to stall him. Y’all share locations. She’s probably already on her way over here and-and she’ll help us.”

Clarke shakes her head. “Raven, you need help. We need to get you to a hospital so you don’t die or lose your leg!” Clarke whispers sternly to Raven.

“Clarke, you’re not going with him! You need to stall him!” was the last thing she was able to say until Finn came back in the room.

“This is it, right?” Finn hands over a small red bag.

“Yes! Finn, take over pressure again,” Clarkes moves over to give Finn enough space to take over. Clarke moves around Finn and digs through the supply bag. She knows her mom always keeps medical supplies around the house… _Yes, gauze!_

“Okay, Finn. Slowly remove your hands,” Clarke demands.

“But I thou-“

“FINN, JUST DO WHAT I SAY!” Clarke shouts.

Finn slowly removes his hands from the bloody kitchen towels and steps back. Clarke moves in and slowly lift the kitchen towels off of the wound. “There’s still a little bleeding. Finn, I need you to go to the kitchen and boil a large pot of hot water,” Clarke demands as she’s opening the package of gauze.

“Why do you need a pot of water for?? We don’t have time for this!” Finn starts to pace around the bedroom clearly frustrated.

Clarke turns and glares at Finn, “Do _you_ know how to properly dress and clean a wound to make sure it doesn’t result in an infection?! Do you, Finn?!”

Clarke may be wrong, but she sees Finn back away from fear and slowly shake his head. “That’s what I thought! Do not question my decisions again! Now go boil me a large pot of hot water!”

Finn turns and reluctantly walks out of the room. Clarke rips open the package of gauze and looks at Raven and says softly, “Okay, Raven. I need to pack the wound to stop the bleeding and to help save your leg. This is going to hurt since the bullet is still in your leg and you’re not under any pain meds. You might want to hold on to something or bite something.”

Raven looks around and grabs the pillow to the right of her and nods telling Clarke she’s ready. Right when Clarke was about to start shoving gauze in her leg, Raven stops her, “Wait, wait. Why did you tell him to boil the water? What are you going to do with it?”

For the first time since everything went downhill, Clarke smiles. “You said to stall him right?”

Raven smiles and tries laughing, but instead winces in pain. “No, no. Don’t laugh! I’m sorry, but don’t move.” Raven takes deep breaths and calms herself back down. She places the pillow over her face and speaks, “Okay, I’m ready.”

And without any hesitation, Clarke dove straight in. Raven’s entire body immediately tenses, she starts to move her leg, and she’s screaming into the pillow. “Raven! Raven! I know it hurts, but I need you to stop moving your leg! Please!” Clarke doesn’t stop what she’s doing, but Raven tries to stop moving her leg the best she can. The grip on the pillow tightens and the screaming becomes louder. Clarke was able to pack the entire wound the best she can and then continues to apply pressure.

Raven’s grip on the pillow relaxes and her breathing starts to normalize. Raven removes the pillow and looks at Clarke, “You’re going to pay for that.”

Clarke chuckles and caresses Raven’s face, “Gladly.”

Finn hobbles back in the room with a large pot of boiling hot water and sets it right next to Clarke. “Okay, now what?” Finn asks Clarke.

Clarke chokes. She told Finn to boil the hot water and he did it faster than she expected. She starts to panic, “Uhhhh, right. I-I need clean towel so I can use the hot water to pack the wound.”

“But the wounds already packed… You just did it,” Finn questions suspiciously.

“Ummm, right, right. I just did that,” Clarke starts to look around frantically to come up with anything to buy time. She takes a deep breath and says, “I need clean towels so I can clean around to wound to prevent infection. Please go and get me clean towels from the hall closet to the right.”

As Finn was about to turn and get more clean towels, the door bell rings.

* * *

All three siblings race to Lexa’s car. Lexa’s pulls out of the garage and squeals out of the driveway and towards the freeway. Lexa takes her phone out and hands it over to Anya, “Anya, scroll through my text messages with Clarke. She texted me her mom’s address a while ago when I was supposed to have picked her mom up for lunch weeks ago.”

Anya and Lincoln both look at each other first before both saying, “You’ve already taken her mom out to lunch?!”

“No, stupid one and stupid two! I said I was supposed to! Something came up that day and I had to reschedule, but never did yet. Just hurry up Anya! I just know it’s west of here!” Lexa says urgently as she steps on the gas.

Anya looks through her phone and finally finds the address, “AH! Found it! Here.” Anya places Lexa’s phone on her magnetic phone stand in her car. The estimated time it’ll take to get there is 15 minutes.

“15 minutes?! Yeah, right. Make sure y’all are buckled up!” Lexa shouts as she accelerates up to 5 RPM and speeds off. Lexa takes the HOV all the way down I-10 until she reaches her destination. Parks the car a couple yard before Clarke’s house. She parks the car and all the siblings pile out.

“Something doesn’t look right,” Lincoln notes. They all walk as casually as possible towards Abby’s house and Anya stops them all in their tracks.

“Wait! Isn’t’ that Finn’s car from the surveillance footage??” Anya whispers lowly.

Lexa’s stomach drops and she sprints towards the house. Her blood pressure is rising and she can barely hear the hollering from her siblings behind her. She was just about to knock on the door before Lincoln grabs a hold of Lexa’s wrists.

“Wait!” Lincoln hisses lowly. “We need to check to make sure everything’s okay or else we might make things worse! Remember what dad said, Lexa. You need to stay calm and focus!”

Lexa looks at Lincoln and her entire body is shaking from fear and adrenaline, but he’s right. She needs to remain calm and collective so she can think with her head and not her heart. She moves her hand down and squats down in front of the door. “You’re right, Lincoln. I’m sorry,” Lexa says as she places a hand on his shoulder.

She takes a deep breath in, holds it, and exhales slowly. Anya then whispers, “Okay, then what’s the plan? We’re assuming they’re all still inside.”

“Hopefully,” Lincoln blurts.

“That doesn’t make things better, Linc!” Lexa hisses. Lexa then takes over, “Okay, this is the plan, we’re gonna circle around the perimeter as quietly as possible and see if there are any windows we can peep through to see if anyone’s still inside. Ahn and Linc, y’all two go on the left side of the house and I’ll go to the right.”

Lincoln grabs Lexa’s shoulder, “No, I need to stay with you to make sure you don’t do anything rash and stupid.” Lincoln then turns to face Anya, “You okay with going by yourself?”

Anya nods, “I’ll be fine, just make sure this one doesn’t do anything stupid!”

Lexa’s overruled, “Okay, fine. Let’s go. Do not be seen.”

Lexa and Lincoln and Anya go their separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-dun-dun. Finn returns. I wonder if y'all saw it coming or not... Let me know what you think! I always appreciate the kudos and comments y'all leave!
> 
> Till next time.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo sorry for the late update. Life, work, life, and other things happened and I had to put this on pause for a moment. I had to make some changes to this chapter, but hopefully it's good enough for y'all!
> 
> Sorry for any typos or errors. I tried to rush this so y'all wouldn't think I abandoned y'all.

Lexa and Lincoln make their way around the right side of the house and looks through the window in from the driveway. “Shit, the blinds are closed,” whispers Lexa.

“You can’t see anything from the sides?” Lincoln whispers back.

Lexa tries to reposition herself to see through the sides, but she can’t see anything. She looks to Lincoln and shakes her head. The they make their way up the driveway and they approach a metal gate. Lexa looks to the house to see if she’ll be seen opening the gate. Coast is clear and she signals Lincoln to advance. Lincoln makes his way around Lexa to quietly open the gate. Lincoln makes way for Lexa to walk through and she crouches close to the wall of the house to listen for anything happening within the house. Just when Lincoln returns to Lexa’s side she hears muffled shouting.

“FINN! Do you want me to go with you or not? If you do, you need to do everything I say RIGHT NOW!”

Lexa’s heart skips and breaks at the same time. _Oh my god, it’s Finn!_ She turns to look at Lincoln and hisses lowly, “That was Clarke!” Lincoln nods and calmly responds, “We need to be very careful. We don’t know what were getting into just yet.”

Lexa nods. She looks around the corner and she sees the back door to the house. She assesses the situation. Like what Lincoln said, she doesn’t know what’s going on inside. She doesn’t know if there’s a lethal weapon, she doesn’t know if Finn is acting on his own or if he somehow has someone helping him, and she doesn’t know if Clarke or Raven are okay. She doesn’t know anything yet and to barge in with such little information would be careless and put everyone at a greater risk.

She looks at Lincoln and gives him the run down, “Okay, Linc, we need to figure out if Finn is by himself or if he’s carrying any type of weapon so we can know what we’re dealing with. We’re gonna hug the perimeter of the wall to minimize the risk of anyone inside seeing us. To my left, there’s a door, I’m going to skip around the door to see if I can get a clearer visual of what’s going on inside, okay?”

Lincoln nods, “Be careful and watch your steps.”

Lexa nods, takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly. She focuses her mind and then peeps around the corner just in case—clear. She lungs forward and continues to hug the wall. She looks back at Lincoln and gives him a thumbs up. She glides along the side of the house like a professional assassin and when she gets to the corner of the brick wall she pauses. Abby’s house is a traditional American style house, so the floor plan and the exterior of the house are pretty predictable. The back door is most likely where the laundry room is that leads into either the breakfast/dining room or kitchen area. Which means around this particular corner must be either a large window or sliding glass door that looks into the breakfast/dining room or kitchen area. She envisions what she might see and she takes a quick one second glance around the corner.

_Okay, I was right, there’s a large sliding glass door and there was a table and chair. Must be the breakfast room. Let me take a look again._

She takes peeps around the corner a little longer and she was right. There’s a small breakfast table and she sees cabinets which has to be the kitchen area as well. The longer she looks the more she sees and then she felt the blood rush from her face. _Blood. That’s a LOT of blood_. She looks around to make sure no one was in the room to see her—clear. She takes a closer look at the blood and see’s that it’s still bright red. _The blood is still fresh and it looks like whoever was bleeding was dragged away. If Clarke was the one shouting, then the blood must be…FUCK… ANYA!_

Lexa turns back and hustles back to Lincoln. “Lincoln there’s blood and lots of it. It can’t be Clarke’s since we just heard her and she sounds healthy. If she had lost that much blood, she wouldn’t have the energy to shout like that which means the blood is-“

“Raven…,” Lincoln manages to choke out and Lexa nods. “We need to get to Anya before she knows it’s Raven and looses her cool,” Lincoln reasons.

Lexa nods again, “Okay, we need to get through here fast. Anya’s probably about to get to the backyard. Around the corner there’s a large window so it’ll be hard to go through. As of right now the coast is clear, so I’ll make a run for it to the other side of the window. When I make it to the other side, I’ll give you the signal to follow, okay?”

Lexa can tell that Lincoln doesn’t like this plan. The odds of Lexa being spotted is too high, but Lincoln looks around and there’s just an empty backyard with no additional cover. There’s nothing else they can possibly do, so reluctantly, he nods.

Lexa moves past the back door and motions Lincoln to follow. They scale the side of the wall until they reach the corner of the house. Lexa peeps around the corner to make sure the coast is clear and that’s when she sees him—Finn. Lexa’s blood boils and all she wants to do is charge in and give him the beating he deserves, but she suppresses the urge and ducks for cover. Lexa turns to Lincoln and mouths ‘ _Finn_ ’. Lincolns eyebrows furrow and his fists tighten. Lexa and Lincoln have a nonverbal conversation and then they both nod at the same time; a mutual agreement to give Finn the beating he deserves when the time is right.

Lexa looks forward again and peeps around the corner, she sees Finn digging through the cabinet beneath the sink— _NOW!_ Lexa sprints the fastest she’s ever sprinted while crouching to the other side of the sliding glass window. She makes it, crouches back down with her back against the wall, and breaths as calmly as she can in and out her nose to try and control her nerves. She counts 5 seconds before she peeps back around the corner to make sure she wasn’t seen and her heart drops—Finn’s gone. She looks every where for a sign of Finn and that’s when she hears Clarke’s voice again.

“FINN, JUST DO WHAT I SAY!”

 _Clarke! Her voice is so close… She must be behind this wall right behind me_. She looks to Lincoln and signals him to stay low and to stay where he is. She scales the side of the house until she comes across a window. She’s able to stand up now that there’s no risk of being caught and peeps through the window and her heart sinks again—as if it could sink any lower. She sees Raven paler than she’s ever seen her with sweat all around her face. She sees the open wound on Raven’s leg below the knee and she sees Clarke covered in blood. Finn is standing next to Clarke holding pressure on the wound and she watches as Finn slowly removes his hands from Raven’s leg. She watches as Clarke gently removes the towels from her leg and says something inaudible.

She then hears something to her right and she flinches—It’s Anya. She looks at her and signals her to stop. She glances back at Clarke and then crouches and scales underneath the window to get to Anya.

“It’s just the three of them—Clarke, Raven, and Finn, but Anya,” Lexa chokes.

“What? What is it, Lexa? Is Clarke okay??” Anya rushes.

“She’s fine. It’s Raven.”

Anya’s face drops and the blood visibly rushes from her face. Her jaw, fists, and body tenses up and she charges forward. Lexa uses all her might to hold Anya back, but Anya is strong. “Ahn…! AHN!” Lexa hisses lowly. “Ahn, stop! We need to be quiet!” But Anya doesn’t back down. “AHN! If you want to save Raven, then you have to be quiet! You have to remain calm! You have to focus! You have to remain calm and focus for Raven! Ahn, please!”

Anya finally stops and her chest is heaving. Her body is still tense and her jaw is held shut tighter than ever. Her body is shaking and she looks down at her sister and says lowly through clenched jaws, “I’m going to kill him.”

Lexa grabs her forearm and places a hand on her heart, “I know, Ahn. I know. We’ll get him, I promise you, but we need to find a way to sneak inside to catch him off guard. In order to do so we need to figure…,” Lexa stops in her thoughts. She suddenly remembers a conversation with Clarke a while back.

* * *

_Clarke’s laughing hysterically, “I was so stupid to think I could do it! And of course I got caught cause the sound of an 18-year-old colliding with the ground was so loud. My mom came running out the back yard with a baseball bat to find me in pain on the floor.” Clarke continues to laugh, “I sprained my ankle and broke my wrist from that fall!”_

_Lexa joins in and laughs with Clarke, “All that from falling off a tree?? Remind me to never take you out climbing trees in the future! I don’t want you to relive bad memories!”_

_Clarke shoves Lexa, “Shut up! Raven’s done it so many times so I thought I could! She used to climb the tree outside my window all the way up and tap on my window to be let in! My mom used to set strict rules and she wouldn’t allow anyone to spend the night…soooo… I had Raven sneak in and sneak back out early in the morning before my mom wakes up!”_

* * *

That’s it! Lexa looks around and sees this huge Oak tree with low limbs just right behind Anya. She looks up and sees a limb that leads straight towards a window which she assumes is Clarke’s room. She repeatedly taps Anya shoulder and points behind her. Anya turns around and immediately understands what Lexa’s thinking.

Lexa feels a tap on her shoulder and quickly turns around ready to deck the person behind her, but she was stopped by Lincoln. “What the hell are y’all doing?? Finn’s in the kitchen now and he has a gun. It’s sitting on the kitchen counter. It also seems like he’s boiling a large pot of water? I don’t know about you, but even though I don’t have any type of medical background, I know boiling a large pot of water won’t help Clarke with Raven’s leg, so it seems like Clarke is trying to stall him. So whatever we’re planning on doing we need to do it NOW and FAST,” Lincoln whispers.

The odds of Clarke’s window being open is slim, so Lexa knows she needs to be able to buy more time than just waiting for water to boil. She takes a moment and she comes up with an idea. “Lincoln, I need you to go and ring the doorbell and pretend to be a neighbor.”

Lincoln and Anya both whisper, “ _WHAT?!_ ”

Lexa shakes her head, “Hear me out. We need to create a diversion. Anya and I will climb up that tree right there which leads straight to Clarke’s room. The odds of Clarke’s window being unlocked is going to be slim, so we need to create enough sound to muffle us breaking the window if it comes down to it. I can bet that Clarke is going to force Finn to go and answer the door since she’s the one with medical experience and needs to stay with Raven.”

“Lincoln, you just need to keep him talking at the door for as long as you can so Anya and I can figure out how we’re going to take Finn down from inside. You need to be careful cause since he has a gun and he’s most likely going to grab it before he answers the door. He’s already shot Raven so the likelihood of him firing again is high.”

“Now,” Lexa brings up her watch. “Give Anya and I two minutes exactly for us to climb this tree and up to Clarke’s room. Go around the house where Anya came from since the sliding glass window in the dining room is too risky. Once two minutes is up, you ring that door bell and we’ll go from there. If by the time you’re finished talking with Finn and you don’t hear or see us, then you come back around the drive way and look inside the dining room to see what’s going on and help us from there, okay?”

Lincoln shakes his head, “Lexa, I really don’t like this plan…”

Lexa hisses, “Do you have a better idea?! Cause ever second we spend discussing this, Raven and Clarke’s lives are at greater risk!”

Lincoln nods, “Okay, okay, fine.”

Lincoln takes out his watch and set it to two minutes. Lincoln looks at both of his sisters and nods, “May we meet again.”

Lexa and Anya nods back and whispers in unison, “May we meet again.”

* * *

_Ding dong!_

Finn looks at Clarke from the door frame. “Who the fuck is that?!”

Clarke heart drops and starts to panic a little. _That can’t be Lexa… Lexa wouldn’t be **stupid** enough to ring the doorbell_. “I don’t know! My mom’s at work and won’t be back until late! It’s probably the neighbors since you freaking _fired_ your gun!” Clarke hisses at Finn.

“Then you go and answer the door!” Finn hisses back.

“I can’t! I have to stay here with Raven to make sure she doesn’t code, pass out, or die! Just go… and… say you’re my boyfriend and you’re in town visiting me and I’m in the shower or something! Make it up and just get them to go away!” Clarke argues.

Finn brings both hands up to his head in frustration, “Okay! _FINE!_ But once they go away. WE. ARE. LEAVING.”

_Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong!_

“Okay! Fine! Just get them to go away!” Clarke spits.

Finn leaves to answer the door and Clarke turns back to see how Raven’s doing. “Hey, you okay? How you feeling?”

“Did you hear that?” Raven whispers.

“Hear what? The door bell? Cause there’s no way-“

“ _Nooo!_ Upstairs! There someone upstairs!” Raven whispers almost inaudibly.

Clarke hears Finn unlock the door and she hears a familiar voice. _Is that…. Lincoln??_

Raven taps Clarke’s shoulder and sits up straighter in the bed, “That’s Lincoln! Clarke! Clarke! They’re here!”

Clarke’s shoulders relax just a little. _They’re here!_

Clarke looks around for anything she could possibly use as a weapon, but this is a guest bedroom. There’s nothing here! She starts to panic and flips through everything and anything in the room to try and find something she can use to protect her and Raven from the potential harm that might come. Just as she’s standing back up from checking underneath the bed, a hand wraps around her waist and another hand covers her mouth.

Clarke freezes and her heart is pounding out of her chest.

“Clarke, it’s me.”

It was like hearing an angel whisper in her ear. She’s never been so happy to hear the sound of her girlfriend’s voice. She turns around in her arms and for a split second she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but it’s really her. Lexa’s really here! Clarke throws her arms around Lexa’s neck and was on the verge of tears before Lexa pries Clarke off. Anya’s already at Raven’s side comforting her and holding her hand. 

“Clarke, we don’t have much time. Lincoln’s trying to stall Finn right now at the door. Anya and I are going to hide somewhere in the house so we can sneak up and attack Finn from behind. Do y’all have anything in the house we could use to fend him off? A bat? Golf clubs? Anything??” Lexa says quickly and quietly.

Clarke wipes the tears that formed on her face and nods, “There’s a baseball bat and an old cricket bat in the kitchen on the side of the fridge. My dad used to keep them there and we haven’t moved them since.”

“Okay, we’ll go to the kitchen right now and hide in the laundry room. Clarke, you need to pretend as if we were never here. You need to act exactly how you were before, okay? Can you do that?” Lexa goes straight to the point. Clarke nods. “One last thing, when we fend him off… Clarke you do _not_ intervene. You do _not get close to the fight. You do _not_ put yourself in harms way. No matter how bad the fight gets, no matter if I get injured or hurt, you do _not_ come to me and you do _not__ leave Raven’s side. Do you understand?” Lexa orders sternly.

“But-“

“Promise me, Clarke. We don’t have much time. I need you to promise me right now,” Lexa holds on to Clarke’s shoulders and stares straight into her eyes. She can see the conflict going through Clarke’s head and the pain she’s experience from hearing what she just demanded from Clarke, but it has to be done this way.

“Clarke… Promise me!” Lexa whispers with a tone of desperation.

Clarke pulls Lexa in for a kiss. The saddest yet most perfect kiss she’ll ever give to the women she loves. The potential last kiss she’ll ever get to give or receive from Lexa. The kiss that means a thousand words. The kiss that could be the beginning of the end or the beginning of all beginnings.

Clarke releases Lexa and gives her a firm nod as she wipes the tears from her eyes. “I promise you, Lexa.”

Lexa gazes at Clarke. She memorizes every feature of her of face, her hair, and those ocean blue eyes. She promises herself that after this, if she makes it out alive, she’ll take Clarke to a beach that has the bluest water and the whitest sand to see two magnificent oceans collide.

Then Lexa does the hardest thing she’ll ever do. She lets go of Clarke, looks at Anya, and tilts her head back signaling their leave. She watches as Anya gives Raven a kiss and she looks back at Clarke and grabs her hand, “May we meet again, Clarke.” She kisses the top of Clarke’s hand, lets go, and then heads out the door.

Clarke whispers to herself, “May we meet again…”

* * *

Lexa and Anya turns the corner and stops. She sees Lincoln at the door still talking to Finn. Even though Lincoln didn’t divert his eyes to look at them, she knows Lincoln sees them. They scurry to the kitchen and looks for the bats Clarke mentioned. _Ah ha!_ She grabs both bats and hands one to Anya. She also makes a mental note that the gun is missing from the kitchen. She then signals Anya to move along to the laundry room and right when she gave the signal, she heard the door close and the lock fasten.

Lexa was the last one in the laundry room and she barely made it behind the wall before Finn went back down the hallway and into the guest bedroom.

“Come on, Clarke! We’re getting out of here! I’ve had enough of this bullshit! I’M DONE!” Finn says with unrelenting anger.

“No! FINN! What about Raven?! She still needs to get to the hospital!” Clarke pleads.

“We’ll order the ambulance once we’re on our way out of Houston! She’s made it this far! She’ll be fine!” Finn argues as he grabs Clarke’s wrist and drags her away from Raven.

While Finn is deliberating with Clarke, Lincoln appeared at the back door and Anya quiet lets him in. “Nice!” was all Lincoln whispered when he saw his sisters wielding the bats. Lexa rolls her eyes and then returns her attention to what’s going on in the other room.

“No! Finn! Let. Me. Go!” Clarke resists as Finn is dragging her out of the bedroom and through the kitchen to get to the living room next to the front door. 

“No! Clarke! We’re leaving now! Let’s go!!” Finn wrestles Clarke in the living room. 

“I said I’d go with you! I promise I’ll go with you! Just please, let me say by to Raven one last time before I go! I’ll never see her again!” Clarke tries to plead to Finn.

Surprisingly, Finn loosens his grip on Clarke and scoffs, “Fine, go say bye, but then we’re leaving! If I have to drag you out by your hair, I’ll do it!”

This was Lexa’s cue to exit the laundry room. Lexa leads the way as Anya and Lincoln follow behind her make sure they aren’t visible. Clarke did a fantastic job not looking at them when she passes through the kitchen and into the bedroom. Lexa peeps the corner and sees Finn looking through the blinds of front window. Her heart is POUNDING. Her adrenaline is coursing through her entire body. This is it. This is the moment to attack. Lexa stands up and strides towards Finn and then everything happens in slow motion.

As Lexa is 5 yards away from Finn with the bat held at the optimum height above and behind her head, Finn turns on his heels and they make direct eye contact. Fuck! Lexa tries to swing the bat down as fast as she could to whack him across the head, but Finn reacted too fast. He dodges the swing and punches Lexa directly in the face causing her to fall backwards.

“YOU! HOW DARE YOU SHOW UP HERE! YOU TAINTED CLARKE! I’LL END YOU!” Finn shouts vehemently at Lexa laying on the floor. He jumps on top of Lexa, pins her down, and lands two full blow punches to her face before Lincoln was able to pry him off of her. “Get the fuck off of her!” Anya lands a punch on Finn’s face at full swing while Lincoln supports her by trying to hold him still. Both of them teaming up on Finn gave Finn no chance.

Lexa takes a quick moment to gather herself. Finn is basically twice the size of Lexa and taking those two hits dazed her. Her left eye is throbbing and she tastes her own blood in her mouth. She sits up and when she saw Finn shove Anya into the wall, adrenaline came flooding back even stronger and she launched forward. “HEY!” Lexa roars. Both Lincoln and Finn stop in the middle of their wrestle on the floor and looks up at Lexa. That was when Lexa landed a solid hit across Finn’s face. Even though Finn is twice her size, Lexa’s got speed. Her hits may not be as deadly as Finn’s, but her swiftness makes her shots effective. A right hook followed by an upper cut caused Finn to release his grip on Lincoln and stumble backwards.

Finn brings his hands to his throbbing face. The upper cut caused him to bite his tongue so his mouth is full of blood. He ousts the stinging pain in his mouth as he spits the blood out of his mouth and onto the floor. He only sees Lexa and his blood boils over. He gets back up and then launches himself at Lexa trying to tackle her to the floor, but Lexa is too fast. She swiftly dodges his tackle and as she dodges, she strikes the back of Finn’s with her elbow—hard. Finn is thrown off balance and ends up smashing into the glass coffee table in front of the couch.

Lexa has to commend Finn’s determination because he gets right up and wipes off all the glass shards on him. There are a couple of small pieces embedded into his skin that Lexa knows he’ll need stitches for, but instead of cowering into the pain he stands up and faces Lexa. There’s a crazy look in Finn’s gaze and she knows he won’t stop until he’s knocked out. “Finn! Just stop! You’re done here! There’s nothing you can do!” Lexa reasons with him. She doesn’t want to hurt him and he’s severely outnumbered here. 

Finn spits at Lexa’s claim, “Oh, there’s plenty I can do.” That was when Finn’s hand moves towards his waistband. Instinctively, Lexa darts towards Finn to stop his actions. Finn brings the gun out and points it towards Lexa. She was quick enough to get to Finn and push the gun away from her, but she was too late. Finn was still able to pull the trigger and the gun fire happened right next to Lexa’s ear. She hit all Finn’s pressure points on his arm which caused him to relax his grip on the gun. She was able to wrestle the gun out of his hands and it dropped to the floor. That was when Anya landed a swift punch to Finn’s throat. Finn gasps and his hands went straight to his throat. Lexa swings and punches Finn so hard on the side of his face he does a 180º and lands face down on the destroyed glass coffee table.

Finn lays still on top of the glass shards. Lexa looks at Anya and they both confirmed, Finn’s not getting up from that. “Hmmm, hey guys?”

Lexa and Anya simultaneously turn to look at Lincoln. Lincoln’s down against the wall. His right hand is gripped tightly on his left shoulder as his left arm is laying limp across his chest. “Lincoln!” Anya and Lexa shouts and dives to his side.

“Fuck! Lincoln! I’m so sorry… I couldn’t stop him in time,” Lexa says solemnly as she tries to help apply pressure to his shoulder.

Lincoln shakes his head, “Nah, sis, you got him. It’s just a flesh wound anyways.” Lincoln tries to laugh, but his laughing turned into hissing.

Anya slaps him across his good shoulder. “Hey!” Lincoln and Lexa says together.

“Do not joke about this! You were shot, dude!” Anya says seriously.

Lexa takes one last look at Finn and sees he hasn’t moved—completely knocked out. She then makes a judgment call and beckons Clarke to come out. Doing as she was told, Clarke hasn’t peeped from the bedroom despite all the fighting and gun fire she heard. When she hears Lexa call for her, she turns towards Raven briefly to make sure she’s okay, but just like Clarke, Raven’s body was all tense from hearing the commotion happening in the other room. “Go, go, go! I’m fine, Clarke! Go help them!” Raven ushers Clarke. Clarke nods and heads out to the living room. She absorbs the sight before her. What used to be her mom’s living room is now completely destroyed. She sees Finn’s body lying there limp and then dives towards Lexa’s side.

Lincoln’s color doesn’t look good. Judging from where Lincoln and Lexa’s hands are pressing against his left shoulder, she immediately went to work. “Lincoln, sit up for me?” Clarke says quickly yet calmly. Lincoln groans. Any movement he makes sends sharp pain throughout his arms and back. Clarke scans his back and see the shot went through and through. _Good, he’ll be fine_ , Clarke thought. Clarke exhales a breath of relief, but all three siblings are still waiting for an answer. “Clarke…” Lexa begs Clarke to say something—anything. Clarke shakes her head, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Linc, you’ll be fine. The bullet went through and through. Just keep holding pressure, but we need to get you to a hospital immediately.”

“Raven… Clarke, how’s Raven?” Anya whispers.

Clarke hangs her head a little, “She’s fine, but I don’t know if she’ll be able to get full function of her leg again.”

Anya’s face drops. She looks at Lincoln and Lexa and they both nod their head towards Raven’s direction, “Go, Ahn.” Anya nods, “You sure?”

Before Lincoln or Lexa answered, Anya was already up and darting towards the bedroom. “Clarke,” Lexa says. “Could you call an ambulance for us? Cops were probably already called cause of the gun shot, but we need to get them to a hospital ASAP.” Clarke nods and tries to grab her phone, but realized Finn took it from her. Lexa senses Clarke is getting flustered, “Babe, my back pocket.”

Clarke reaches for her back pocket. Before Clarke even asked, “Your birthday.” Despite the situation, Lexa lets out a small grin and Clarke blushes. She types in 1025 and the phone unlocks. She then is patched through to emergency services and requests two ambulances sent to her mom’s house. The dispatcher informed Clarke officers have already been dispatched to her location 5 minutes ago along with an ambulance, so they’ll call another ambulance over.

When Clarke is finally done with the phone, she places the phone down and finally attends to her girlfriend. “Lexa…” Clarke says softly and she gently moves Lexa’s face to face her so she can get a better look. Lexa’s left eye is swollen and red and there’s a cut underneath that had blood oozing out which has dried at this point. The right side of her lip is also swollen with a little blood. Seeing Lexa this way pains Clarke in so many ways—physically and emotionally. She begins to feel tears build in her eyes as she cradles Lexa’s face in her palm.

“Hey, hey.. Not here, love,” Lexa whispers. “I’m okay, I promise. It looks worse than it really is. I’ve been worse than this,” Lexa tries to comfort Clarke.

Lincoln chuckles a little, “Remember that time when you fought…” That was all Lincoln said before Lexa whipped her head to Lincoln with a face that basically said _if you finish that sentence, I will kill you myself_ look. Lincoln sealed his lips with a goofy smile. Then suddenly they hear glass shards start to break. All three heads turn towards Finn’s slow moving body. Before any of them made any movements, the door was suddenly kicked in and 4 officers came rushing in, guns drawn, and shouting commands. Clarke immediately put her hands up whereas Lexa only held one hand up while still helping Lincoln apply pressure.

“It’s him, it’s him! Please we’re innocent and we need ambulances!” Clarke pleads with the officers. The officers apprehend Finn and lifts his limp body. Even though every cell in her body hates Finn, she winced when she got a good look at his face. There were fragments of glass shards sprinkled all over his face and body, but the worst was the glass shard that went through his left eye. She didn’t get a good look, but the entire left side of his face was covered in blood. Finn was grumbling incoherent sentences as he was being taken away. He was shuffling in the officers hold, but he was rendered useless with the tight handcuffs around his wrists. 

The remaining two officers holstered their weapons and then finally a familiar face walked through the door along with a gurney. “Roan, thank the gods you’re here,” Lexa spoke.

“When our towers pinged a gunshot at this location, I ordered my team out here,” Roan said as he kneel next to Clarke. He orders the paramedics to take Lincoln, but Clarke stopped him. “No, wait, in the bedroom over there, you need to take Raven first. She’s in far worse condition and needs medical attention immediately. I already called in another ambulance and they should be here any minute.”

Roan nods and redirects the paramedics to the bedroom. Moments later, Raven is brought out on a gurney with Anya trailing behind the paramedics. Clarke looks at Lexa and Lexa immediately understands, “Go. I’ll meet you at the hospital.” Clarke smiles and lands a gentle kiss on Lexa’s good side and then her forehead. “Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone, okay?” Clarke grins and Lexa nods. “I love you,” Lexa whispers.

“I love you more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was good enough.. Let me know what you think!


End file.
